


A Brief Escape

by BehindTheCorner



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Drug Use, Family Drama, High School AU, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, M/M, Mariku has no self control, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Past Child Abuse, Self-Harm, Slow Burn, Suicide Attempt, That and the Ishtars, These two nerds will share the bed even if it kills me, You will pry this AU from my cold dead hands
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-03-24 11:32:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 124,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13810305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BehindTheCorner/pseuds/BehindTheCorner
Summary: Living in Japan for five years, the Ishtar family find themselves in inner turmoil with their brother, Mariku, who had been one of the worst students in school. Vandalism, fighting, skipping school, it starts to tear the family apart as they try to help their brother before he destroys himself in the process. The problem is that Mariku only seems to listen to one certain white haired boy, and feelings building up in him threaten to shatter what little sanity he has left.[High School AU. Eventual Trashshipping. Slow Burn.]





	1. Just Another Day

Just another day. Clear skies without a cloud in sight, it was a nice day to spend cooped away in the school building, head jammed in books and lectures while teachers droned on in your ear about maths or some other shit. Mariku couldn't stifle a chuckle at that thought. There he was, walking around in the streets dressed in his school uniform, and yet the last thing on his mind was actually going to school. His backpack slumped over his shoulder was lighter than air practically, none of the school books or equipment that he saw Malik shove into his own bag that morning in his own, rather just a single bottle rolling around was in his bag. It wasn't water or anything remotely healthy, it was a bottle of vodka that he spied Ishizu putting away months ago, his older sister having got it from some party that she went to for work. He wasn't really listening when she told the family, just catching words and snippets.

Some promotion or something in her friend group. Why that constituted alcohol when Ishizu didn't even drink was beyond the platinum blonde.

Still, one man's trash is another man's treasure, and Mariku would certainly have made better use of the bottle than anyone else in his family. Malik was apparently "too young", Ishizu was religious, and Rishid just didn't like the taste. More for him. Scoffing to himself, his thoughts trailed off as he continued walking through the busy streets, wondering where all these people came from considering most should have been in work or school. In an alleyway going off the main street, he spotted a group of kids, looking no older than he was and sporting the same school uniform, sitting around and laughing at some joke that he couldn't make out. Honestly, he didn't care much to listen, and ignored them as he kept walking. From within his pocket, his phone vibrated loudly.

Groaning under his breath, he thought against checking it again, knowing that it would be either Ishizu trying to text him again, or Malik doing their sister's dirty work. He wasn't even sure Rishid had a phone. Against his better judgement, he pulled the vibrating phone from his pocket, staring at the bright screen with narrowed purple eyes as he read the millionth text he got from Malik.

_Mariku, where are you? You haven't come into school. If you don't hurry up, Ishizu is gonna get another phone call from the principle._

Whatever. Mariku couldn't bring himself to care what the principle would do, and just ignored the text by shoving his phone back into his pocket. The people around him gave him suspicious looks, some moving out of his way as he carried on, unable to stop that smirk at how everyone reacted around him. Outside of school, he was known for being a delinquent in the city. Shoplifting, vandalism, petty shit that he didn't even know why he did half the time. A student who was walking around town during school hours wasn't seen in the best light regardless of his intentions. His smirk dissolved when his phone vibrated again, instead the teen adopting an annoyed glare as he pulled his phone out again, ready to text Malik back to leave him the fuck alone.

However, his anger worsened when he saw that it wasn't a text this time, and that it wasn't Malik's name flashing across his screen. It was Ishizu herself. He could let it ring out and have her go to his voicemail, but then he knew better. His sister was stubborn and would just keep ringing until he either answered or his phone died. So, with a sigh of annoyance, he pressed the answer button and lifted the phone to his ear, blankly staring ahead as his sister's voice crackled on the other end, cutting straight to the point as she demanded. "Why aren't you in school?"

"How'd you know I'm not?" He snarked back, unable to stop that small smile from returning to his face when he heard Ishizu groan under her breath.

"If you're in school then why have I just gotten off the phone with the principle?" She revealed. Mariku couldn't think of an answer, his silence no less incriminating him as his sister added. "I thought so. We'll talk about this when I get home. Now, get to school."

" _Fine._ " He replied through gritted teeth, pulling the phone from the side of his head and staring down at the screen. With the call ended, he just stared at the background that he put up months ago. Arm in arm, it was him and Bakura standing at a party, the tanned Egyptian sporting a huge grin on his face while his pasty, white haired best friend had a more withdrawn look on his face, but he could still make out that small smile that he would give to him. It was Ryou's 16th birthday. Their father wasn't around, having gone back to Egypt for some archeological dig or whatever, and so Bakura organised a small gathering of their friends to cheer his younger brother up. If he concentrated on the photo, Mariku could make out Malik and Ryou joking about in the background, the latter having a dollop of frosting on his nose from Jonouchi and Honda messing around near the cake.

It was a good day. Even if the Friendship Gang, as he liked to call them, didn't enjoy being anywhere near the older Ishtar sibling, he found solace in his close friendship with Bakura. Shoving his phone back in his pocket, he paused at the familiar entrance leading down to the walkways that run alongside the canal, staring down the stairway with a neutral expression before he walked down slowly. It was the quickest way to Bakura's house. That said, it was also pull of dumped trash and colourful people who skulked around there, and Mariku knew half the people lurking there personally. After they got into more serious crime, he was convinced by Bakura to leave them behind, and their last interactions weren't those commonly shared between friends. Luckily, it was still too early for him to run into any of them anyway. Strolling alongside the calm waters of the canal, he looked down at his reflection, staring at the eyes that were staring back at him. Fingers pressed against the black markings just under his eyes, pushing the skin around before he allowed his hand to fall back down to his side.

After minutes of walking in silence, he passed under a bridge and into the shadows, wrinkling his nose at the smell of piss hung heavily in the air. He could feel goosebumps run up and down his exposed arms. His jacket was wrapped around his waist, his sleeves tied together to stop the uniform from slipping down his hips. Suddenly feeling cold, his hand rubbed his other arm, tracing over the lines of his new sleeve tattoo that he had done just weeks back. It took some saving and finding one of his old friends who was into tattooing, but he was pleased with the result, looking down at his thumb rubbing along the grey colours of his Anubis tattoo. The happiness that he felt over his newly acquired tattoo dissolved completely when he got home that day. Ishizu was always the wise mother figure for them, with a word of advice for almost any situation that could possibly occur, yet she couldn't say anything when she found out about his tattoo. Thinking back to it, he chuckled at the memory of Malik's eyes growing to the size of saucers when he opened the door, scolding Mariku for losing his keys again before all words died in his throat.

It wasn't so funny when he got that scolding.

His memories were fuzzy after the argument. All he could remember was the guilt over losing his temper, and Rishid constantly reminding him to continue taking the tablets. Take the medication, Mariku. Day in and day out. The bottle was left in the bathroom medicine cabinet, hidden away behind Ishizu's numerous beauty products, almost like the family was ashamed to be reminded of the fact that one of them wasn't the perfect sane angel as the rest of them. He knew what his father would have said. During his childhood, Mariku was the problem child. The one who wasn't as well behaved as Ishizu or aspiring to be in one of those high earning jobs like Malik. Even Rishid was just the adopted child that their father never wanted. Mariku was his own son, his flesh and blood, but he was constantly beaten and pushed aside because he couldn't live his life like his siblings. Walking along the canal, a bitter laugh came from his lips. He was thankful that the family left his father's old ass back in Egypt.

The sun shone once more on his back as he walked on from underneath the bridge. Warmth spread through his body again, and he shook his thoughts away from his mind when he saw the staircase that would lead up to the streets near Bakura's home. A brief look at his phone in case he got any more messages, and he shrugged nonchalantly when he found his inbox empty. The metal stairs vibrated under his weight as he ran up the steps, taking two at a time until he was out of the canal walkways and up on the city streets again. The roads were clean and the pavements littered with people wearing expensive clothes and looking particular snooty. It was the perfect place for Bakura's family in all of Mariku's honesty. With his rugged outfit and exotic looks, he stuck out like a sore thumb in the sea of people, pushing past some to make his way down to the side road where the Bakura household lived. People gave him a wide berth, just like others in his neighbourhood, but he didn't feel powerful as he walked through the street.

He just felt like he didn't belong.

Still, he managed to push his way through and made it across the road, passing the same store that he passed countless times before. A cashier from inside the store stood on the corner leading into Bakura's street, leaning against the brick wall with a cigarette in between her slender fingers and a distant glaze over her blue eyes. She obviously seemed distracted with something, considering she didn't notice Mariku walking there until he was practically in front of her, causing her to snap out of her thoughts with a heavy glare directed straight at him. Rather than return the glare, he just stopped dead in his tracks and flashed her a cocky little smirk, knowing how it boiled her blood showing his face around the neighbourhood. Exhaling the smoke through her nose, she tipped the ash onto the clean pavement and snapped. "What're you doing around here, Mariku?"

"It's great to see you too, _Rin_." He shot back. Her eyes narrowed even more at the way he drew out her name, her free hand brushing away a strand of dark brown hair from in front of her face, pushing it behind her ear with the rest of her hair pulled back in a tight bun. Even though he enjoyed rubbing her up the wrong way, he couldn't stop the pange of hatred from hitting him square in the chest at the mere sight of her. A childhood friend of Bakura, she still skulked around his friend, even after their friendship disintegrated when they started high school. She loathed Mariku with a passion, that much he knew, but the reason she did just brought joy to the Egyptian every time he hung around with Bakura.

"Eat shit. Thought you'd be in school by now. They finally had the sense to kick you out?" She scowled, placing the cigarette between her teeth and pulling out her phone. "Don't know why you keep hanging around here. Thought Bakura would leave your ass after you set fire to the school."

"It was a classroom, for starters, and it was only a small one. I guess he just loves hanging around with me. More than his so called 'childhood friend'." Mariku mocked, knowing the exact words to get underneath Rin's skin. When he saw her fingers dig into the cover over her phone, he knew that his words struck somewhere deep in her, and decided to leave her to stew in her own anger by walking away, nonchalantly raising his hand as a farewell gesture while laughing. "Love to stick around and chat, but I'm on my way to Bakura's. See ya!"

"Oi!" She called after him. He didn't bother stopping until he heard footsteps running up behind him, turning around to see that Rin had ran after him. Raising an eyebrow in surprise, he stopped and just stood there as she quickly caught up with him. Breathing heavily, her face was a bright red colour with her eyebrows furrowed in rage, her eyes narrowed as she squared off against the taller teen. Despite being a year his senior, she only barely reached his neck, Mariku having to crane his neck downwards to meet her gaze, a smirk playing at his lips that made her rage even more.

"I don't know what you're deal is, Mariku!" she started, jabbing a finger in his chest to drive home her point. "But you should stay the hell away from Bakura! He's a good guy, and he's all his siblings have! He ain't no good to them if his crazy friend drags him on stupid ideas that gets him killed or in jail!"

That was the straw. Mariku was able to take jabs about pretty much anything, including his delinquent behaviour, but he felt his temper fraying when she brought up his problems. It was none of her business. His face fell instantly, his eyes narrowing and his voice lowering to a dark tone as he growled at her. "Shut the fuck up. You don't know shit about me, and you don't know shit about Bakura. You lost any chance of worrying about him the minute you fucked him off for your new friends."

Her fiery rage drizzled out instantaneously at the mention of her past actions. Backing off, she glanced away with shame clear on her face, and that spark of guilt hit Mariku like a freight train right into his chest. He ignored it, however, instead leaving the conversation there and continuing down the street before he really lost control. Rin made no attempt to run after him this time, just standing on the pavement watching as Mariku carried on all the way down the street. He made no attempt to look behind him, seeing if the girl was still standing there or if she sulked back to the store to finish her shift. The guilt was pushed away, ignored as he focused on something else. Anything else to get rid of the tightness in his chest and the excessive need to lash out at everything and everyone. Rishid's words echoed in the back of his mind.

_Breathe. Take yourself out of the situation and count to ten. Do this until you no longer feel the anger._

Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn't. It all depended on whether Mariku was too far gone by the time he remembered the advice or not. Breathing through his nose and out his mouth, he kept doing that until he reached the front garden of Bakura's home. The anger had gone slightly, and he decided to keep the conversation he had with Rin a secret to avoid invoking Bakura's wrath. Even though he could rival Ishizu in controlling his temper, there were still subjects that were best left alone. Rin was one of them. The gate creaked loudly as Mariku pushed through it, the sounds grating against his ears before he left it alone, walking slowly up the concrete path leading up to the front door. The house was about as nice as the neighbourhood. With white walls and unchipped paint, it was definitely nicer than Mariku's home, though he was grateful to have moved out of the shithole that the Ishtar family lived in when they first came to Japan five years ago. There were even small plants in pots running just underneath the window, the bright colours livening the place up and bringing a splash of colour amongst the white and beige. They were likely Ryou's and definitely well cared for.

Standing there at the front door, Mariku didn't bother knocking and just opened the door, walking into the house with his bag slipping off his shoulder, his hand rummaging through the contents within until he found the bottle of stolen vodka. His voice, loud and boisterous, echoed through the seemingly empty house as he called out. "Hey, Bakura! You'll never guess what I found stashed in Ishizu's office!"

No answer. Frowning deeply, he lowered the hand holding the bottle and looked around, staring down at the shoe rack that had all the shoes of the people living in the house, as well as any visitors that came by. Ryou's school shoes were gone, as was to be expected, but what surprised Mariku was that Bakura's was gone as well. Confused, he walked towards the open doorway leading into the living room, swinging his head around the frame and peering in to see if Bakura was just asleep on the couch again. There was someone lying there, but it definitely wasn't Bakura. The same snow white hair was held back by a simple blue hair band, keeping it from flailing around wildly like the eldest sibling enjoyed having his hair, hiding the face away from Mariku's sights as he further entered the living room. Headphones over her ears and her attention being diverted to the small handheld console in her hands, it was Amane lying down on the couch, one of her legs propped up on the arm of the couch. The thing that captured Mariku's attention however was the lack of prosthetic leg that was usually attached to her right leg, the fake limb rather just left propped up against the wall next to the couch.

Finally, his presence was noticed by the youngest Bakura sibling. Slipping the headphones off her ears, she stared up at the older teen with those brown doe eyes not unlike Ryou's, her voice a tired drawl as she immediately pointed out. "Bakura's gone to school."

"Well, shit." He swore, glancing around the spacious room. With Amane playing her game behind him, he turned his attention to the numerous framed photos standing on the mantelpiece, overlooking each one before focusing on one in the middle. The three siblings looked so much younger, and yet he could still make out who was who. Staring at Bakura in the middle, Mariku was certain that he was tall even when he was born, the chubby cheeks and huge brown eyes so different to the defined features and slender eyes that he was so used to seeing. It was almost adorable. With Ryou on his right and an toddler Amane in his arms, Bakura almost looked _happy._ In the background, Mariku see a couple sitting just behind the siblings, recognising the blue haired and bespeckled man as Bakura's father. However, the white haired and pale skinned woman sitting beside him was a mystery.

The numerous times Mariku had mentioned her, Bakura had shut him out, but he could take an educated guess that she was in fact his mother, given the resemblances between her and the siblings. Her large brown eyes resembled Ryou and Amane's completely, and the small smile on her face made Mariku recall back to the background picture on his phone. Pulling it out, he stared down at the tiny smile on Bakura's face, looking back up at the photo with a deep frown. The little he knew, the more he wanted to learn, but he knew the subject was a sensitive one for his friend. Similar to him, Bakura had lost her years ago, long before Mariku's family even thought about coming to Japan, and it was the similarity between their deceased mothers was one of the things that brought the two together. Finally tearing himself away from the picture, he turned back around and asked the young teenage girl. "So, how come you ain't in school?"

Peering over her game, she just pointed to her missing leg nonchalantly and explained. "Hospital appointment today. Bakura dropped me back here to rest before he went into school."

Oh, that made sense. With their father having left for a couple of months on the dig, Bakura had to keep up with all the appointments and therapy for Amane. Between caring for his disabled sister, school work, and keeping all the bills paid along with food in the house, he wondered how exactly his best friend hadn't snapped under pressure yet. Plonking himself down in the lone chair, he made himself comfortable with long legs hanging off the side of the chair, his feet brushing against the wooden floor. He might as well wait until Bakura came back from school, not feeling up to going in that day. At least he had a drink to enjoy while sitting there. Amane paid little attention to him, rather going back to her game while the both of them sat there in silence, Mariku unscrewing the top of the clear bottle and sniffed the contents. When he recoiled slightly, Amane pushed the headphones back down around her neck and turned to face him. "What'd you got there?"

"Fuck if I know. Some kind of vodka, I think?" He shot back, unsure with no label on the bottle to tell him exactly what the liquid was. Smelt like it, though. Wrapping his lips around the top, he took a chug of it and instantly regretted his decision, sitting upright immediately as he coughed up loudly. His lungs felt like they were _burning._ Red hot fire burned all down his throat, but he managed to get his coughing under control as he choked. "Fucking hell. That was strong."

"I thought your family doesn't drink?" Amane pointed out, giving up on playing her game in peace while her brother's best friend sat coughing his lungs out next to her. Screwing the top back on the bottle, he got back to his feet and made a beeline into the kitchen, ignoring the teenager's question. The room was separated from the living room by a large archway, and was decorated in a typical modern style. Stainless black marble countertops that looked like they were wiped down every five minutes, his own reflection staring back at Mariku as he walked through to the fridge standing near the back door.

Opening it up, he spotted his water bottle sitting next to the milk and juice cartons, remembering that he had in fact left it behind the last time he bunked off school in Bakura's. With it in one hand and the vodka left on the countertop beside him, he grabbed hold of the juice carton and shook it, finding it nearly full. Bakura must had gone shopping before. With a smirk on his face, he got to mixing the concoction in his water bottle, pouring in the orange juice before tossing it carelessly back into the fridge, using his hip to close the fridge door while he was busy mixing in the rest of the small alcohol bottle. If someone was just basing the drink on looks, it looked like any other bottle of juice. Hopefully this would stop the vodka from destroying his innards when he took another sip. Throwing the empty glass bottle in the bin beside the fridge, he returned to the living room only to find that Amane had sat up while he was gone, having left her game on the coffee table and busy reattaching her prosthetic leg.

He watched her while taking another sip of his drink, before speaking up. "You got any good movies?"

"Erm…" She trailed off, looking over at vast collection of DVDs that the family had under their gigantic TV. It surprised Mariku to no end over how their father could afford all these luxuries by himself. Finally, she shook her head and mumbled. "Not that you haven't seen already. Ryou hasn't had time to go and get new ones."

"Lil' cream puff continuing to disappoint me." Mariku joked, sipping from his bottle while making his way to the handheld console left on the coffee table. Before Amane could intercept him, he plucked it up in his larger hands and stared at the lit up screen, raising an eyebrow when he saw that it was that popular game that the younger students fo his school were all raving about. Pokemon, or some other shit. He didn't understand it in all honesty. Turning his head to look down at the flustered teen, he shot her a smirk and passed the console back, chuckling as she snatched it and shut it off, tossing it back on the coffee table. "It's a pretty popular game nowadays. I ain't judging."

"Whatever. I'm gonna go for a walk around or something. You should really go to school." She shot back, tying up the laces of her shoes while Mariku just scoffed.

With bottle in hand, he was ready to give her a sarcastic retort if not for the loud knocking on the door cutting him off. A frown replaced the smirk on his face, and with narrowed eyes, he went to the door leading into the hallway and peered around the corner. Even with the front door shut, he could make out the outline of Malik, cursing under his breath as he pulled his head back into the living room. Amane managed to finish up tying her shoelaces and got up to her feet, watching him slinking around as he managed to grab his bag from hallway where he tossed it earlier. Slinging it over his shoulder, he turned to the younger girl and asked. "It's Malik. Lil fucker must've left school to come and grab me. You distract him while I hop over the fence out back."

Crossing her arms, she rolled her eyes at the plan and pushed past him, pausing at the door as she groaned in frustration. "Fine. Hurry up, but you owe me."

"Thanks, daisy." He laughed, earning a glare from the use of the much hated nickname. With his much needed distraction, he wasted no time in running through the kitchen and wrenching the back door open, hearing Amane and Malik talking in the background as he gently shut the back door, avoiding making much noise to stop his brother from getting suspicious. The back garden was fairly large, the same plants that were in the front growing in marked off areas, giving the patch of green off the wooden deck splashes of numerous colours. Ryou definitely had too much time on his hands.

Still, Mariku wasn't a complete asshole. Dodging the lovingly grown flowers, he managed to reach the back fence leading into an alleyway that led behind the street, hopping up with a soft grunt. A lift of his leg, some awkward shifting, and he managed to free himself and dropped down onto the cobblestone floor running down the alleyway. Only him and a stray cat that ran over his path before slinking off to whoever knows, he grabbed his phone when he heard faint buzzing in his pocket and squinted his eyes while reading the new text. Once again, it was from Malik, likely having left Amane alone after proving unsuccessful in finding his twin brother.

_Seriously, where are you? I've just been to Bakura's and his sister said she hasn't seen you today. Please, just text me back so I know you haven't gone back to that old group you used to hang around with._

That stirred something in his chest. He didn't know what it exactly was, but seeing his brother desperately trying to make sure he didn't slink back to his old gang was heartwarming to say the least. Typing a short reply back, he decided to bite the bullet and go into school after all, having nothing else better to do. It was either that or wander around the streets until school finished, and by the look of the time on the clock, that wouldn't be for another couple of hours. Managing to get out of the alleyway and finding himself back on the streets of the city, he took a moment to gather his whereabouts before making his way towards the school. If he was quick enough, he could slink in at the end of lunchtime and not have to deal with the teachers getting on his case. Avoiding the store where Rin worked, he crossed the road to the other side and jogged down the staircase back down to the canal walkways.

There were more of the colourful people lurking around on the walkways, but none who had any problems with Mariku, and so he was left alone as he went on his way. Back when he was running with his old gang of friends, he didn't exactly leave in the friendliest way, and had been avoiding the group ever since at the behest of his family and Bakura, though he honestly wanted to run into them. To feel the faces of those assholes under his fist, he'd give anything to feel that euphoria again. Fighting. If he was brutally honest, it was the only thing he was good at. Great at even. Still, the last time he was nearly put in hospital and arrested by the police. Nowadays, he tried his best to keep away from the police, and so far he had been successful. Shoving some crappy headphones he bought into his ears, he started to blast some music from his phone for the rest of the walk to school.

By the time he finished the fourth song in his playlist, he saw the familiar fence running around the premises and fields surrounding it, already feeling that boredom in anticipation of the likely boring lessons that he had that afternoon. Dutch courage couldn't even save him as he took a sip from his bottle, shoving it into his jacket pocket for safe keepings as he finally reached the open gates leading into the school. Almost like fate wanted to fuck him over some more, as soon as he took a step past the gate, he was caught by Malik's sudden appearance behind him, that know-it-all voice loud even over the music blasting in his ears. "Mariku!"

"Fuck." He swore under his breath, pulling his earphones out and turning his upper body around just in time to see his brother running up to him. Even as twins, it was easy to spot the differences between the Ishtar brothers, especially with the way Malik presented himself. With his uniform done up properly opposed to Mariku's untucked shirt with the top buttons undone, showing off some of his collarbones, and his jacket still tied around his waist while Malik's was worn properly. Even their hairstyles were wildly different. Both platinum blonde yet Malik sporting his in a short cut, just above his shoulder, and the bangs smaller and higher over those same lilac eyes. Mariku's was styled in a way that was easy to maintain, and because he couldn't be bothered actually styling it like his brother does. Strands sticking out in all different directions wildly, it spanned out twice as big as his actual head.

Skidding to a stop, Malik stood there with his phone in hand, breathing heavily and flushed from all the running around. Just standing there with a bored expression, Mariku listened as the other teen blurted out. "Where've you been?! I texted you only to be ignored, thanks for that by the way, and when I went to Bakura's his sister told me that you weren't there!"

"I was just walking around town." He lied. The answer and lack of emotion or concern for what Malik went through caused the shorter twin to growl under his breath, throwing around curses in Arabic while Mariku added with a scoff. "I answered your texts. How come you're being such a bitch about this? I was out and now I'm here."

"That's not the point, Mariku!" Malik snapped, exasperated over the complete lack of reaction he was getting. Turning around fully, Mariku paused the music still blasting through his headphones and listened as his brother continued in an annoyed tone. "You were meant to be here at nine. It is now nearly one in the afternoon. Ishizu's been on the phone with the principle!"

"Yeah, she rang about that." He pointed out.

"Mariku, don't you realise that if you keep going on like this, you will be put on expulsion?" Malik explained, adding when his brother just shrugged his shoulders in response. "Whatever. If you wanna keep acting like this, then fine, but don't come complaining when you're stuck in some dead end job earning jack shit."

Shoving past Mariku, he made his way up the path leading to the school. All he did was watch the shorter teen walk up to the groups of friends waiting for him, Mariku unable to stop that pange of jealousy and anger bubbling deep in his stomach, just cursing to himself as he walked after them. The whole gang was there, with Mariku able to see Yuugi from miles because of that ridiculous hairstyle that was three time bigger than his head. Despite that, he was actually the only one that Mariku could stand being around, besides Ryou that is. Yuugi and his brother, Atem, they were some kids that lived with their grandfather, though where their parents were, Mariku didn't know. It seemed like the norm in that school for its students to have either only one parent or none at all. That jealousy worsened when he saw Jonouchi clasp Malik on the back, sharing laughs with their friends while they walked back into the school building together. It must have been nice being that popular.

Shaking his head free of those thoughts, he chuckled bitterly to himself. He wasn't jealous. Mariku had Bakura as his friend, and he didn't even wanna hang around with Malik's friends even if they paid him. Too much sappy shit about how great friendship is and how they'd all be there for each other, it made his teeth rot from the sweetness. He was fine. When he spotted Bakura sitting by himself on the grass, his bitterness over what had happened then disappeared and he smiled softly, making a beeline straight for the white haired teenager on his lonesome. Sitting on his jacket to stop the rest of his uniform from getting dirty, Bakura had his face buried in what looked like a maths book, that look of confusion and annoyance clear to Mariku that he was having as much luck understanding the equations as he would. None at all. Only when he was casting a large shadow over his friend did Bakura notice Mariku's presence. Narrow brown eyes glanced up at him over the rim of the book, looking at Mariku up and down before a deep raspy voice called out. "You finally decided to come in today, then?"

"You weren't home." Mariku replied slowly, sitting down next to Bakura while pulling out the bottle from his pocket.

A few moments passed with them sitting there, Bakura having lowered down his book when he realised what Mariku had just said, staring at him with narrowed eyes as he slowly shifted his gaze down to the bottle in the tanned boy's hand. "That was in my house. Is that my juice?"

"I needed it to hide the vodka I borrowed from Ishizu's office." Mariku retorted, taking another swig from the bottle before lying down to enjoy the summer breeze. The addition of the juice had stopped most of the burning in his throat and lungs, though Bakura was annoyed that he stole the juice from his fridge. With him lying there, his friend decided to quit the studying with the distraction laying next to him, shutting his maths book with a huff and shoved it back in his school bag.

"I'd tell you that being found with alcohol in school is warrant for expulsion but you're just gonna tell me you don't care." He grumbled, finishing packing his things and then just sitting there, staring down at Mariku as he sighed, rubbing his temples with his fingers. "Can you at least wait until school ends before you carry on drinking that crap?"

"Anything for you, sugar puff." He grinned, shoving the bottle in his jacket pocket before returning to his spot next to Bakura. It was pretty enjoyable. Lying there with his best friend, both of them enjoying the warm rays of sunlight and the faint breeze cooling down his exposed skin, he almost wished he could just stay like that without having to go back into that dreary school to learn about stuff that he didn't even understand. Having looked at Malik's books while he was studying was enough to confuse the shit outta the older Ishtar sibling. With his arm moving over his face to shield his eyes, he listened as Bakura shifted beside him, peeking from underneath his arm to see his friend making himself more comfortable. In the light, he had a certain glow to the pale skin, his eyes highlighted with some hints of hazel deep within them, Mariku finding himself drawn to keep staring into them, only looking away from Bakura glanced down at him.

His face heated up underneath his arm, desperately hiding it away from the other's sight until he got his complicated thoughts under control. Luckily for him, Bakura didn't seem to notice anything as he continued to watch the other students playing around for the last few minutes of lunchtime, pulling his legs up and resting his arms on the top of his knees. Mariku continued to lay there, trying to figure out what to say in the moment, anything to get this thoughts away from how vibrant and colourful Bakura's brown eyes were. His other hand ghosted over the bottle in his pocket, and without a second thought, he pulled it out and offered it to Bakura with a grin. "Want a sip?"

"No, I don't want a fucking sip!" He snapped, pushing the bottle away as Mariku laughed boisterously, deciding against pushes his luck with his friend and returned the bottle to his pocket. With the bottle out of his face, Bakura returned his arm to his knees and grunted. "Why'd you even have that? I thought your family doesn't drink."

Peeking from under his arm, he gave a cheeky grin and chuckled. "They don't, but when have you known me to do what my family does?"

"Fair enough." Bakura muttered back. The silence came back instantly after that, the two of them preferring it this way compared to the grating chatter that the others enjoyed doing. Malik was never one to just shut up, having to have everyone in the vicinity hear his opinion and his confidence was almost envious, though Mariku took that confidence and went the completely wrong way with it. All of a sudden, he heard rustling beside him, his arm moving again just in time for Bakura to pass half a sandwich, having left it from his lunch when he revealed. "I know you haven't eaten yet. At least have something before we go back in."

Stunned, he took the sandwich regardless and ate it while remaining where he laid, taking a large bite out of it as Bakura just watched. Cheese, lettuce and onion. It wasn't Mariku's favourite, but he didn't know how hungry he was until he took that first bite. After that, he practically wolfed it down while the other teenager gave him a rare smile. "I thought you'd stop leeching food off me when your family moved into that nicer house."

"I'm the only one who appreciates your cooking." Mariku shot back, finishing up the sandwich with a wide smile on his face. Bakura said nothing, staring at the other's face with narrowed eyes, while Mariku just stared back with a confused raise of his eyebrow. With a scoff, the pale student pulled out a napkin from his pocket and tossed it on his face.

"Clean yourself up, god." He ordered. The napkin landed on his face, Mariku laying there with it still there before he slowly lifted it off him, using it to wipe away any remaining crumbs or anything sticking to his face, before returning it to its owner. Bakura took it back without saying a word, shoving it in his pocket while Mariku went back to relaxing in the sun, his arm returning to its spot over his eyes with a content sigh escaping his lips.

Suddenly, the bell rang in the distance, the sound causing Mariku to move his arm with a frown and deep groan under his breath. While he sat up slowly, Bakura got to his feet and dusted off his jacket, pulling his arm through it as he watched Mariku decide between staying where he was sitting and miss school, or get up and go inside with Bakura and deal with maths lessons and obnoxious teachers. Either way, he'd have to deal with Ishizu when he got back home. From above him, Bakura's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "You coming or what? I'd rather not be late to class."

"Oh boy, I always wanted to sit in a hot room learning about fractions(!)" Mariku replied in fake joy, taking Bakura's hand and hoisting himself up from the ground. Making their way to the door leading into the building, he stared up at the building with a frown permanently plastered on his face, unwilling to go inside but pushed on by Bakura beside him.

With the lunch coming to an end, the hallways were more crowded than the streets that Mariku walked before, the two seniors pushing through the younger students as loud voices grated against their ears. One of the small students ran past Mariku, having to jump out of the way to avoid being launched into the wall by the tall teenager, absolutely terrified to say anything as he and Bakura continued to walk to their maths classroom. When the others noticed that he actually bothered coming into school, they started pulling away, leaving a path straight through them that he exploited. The whispers and stealth insults that were muttered about him bothered him somewhat, the thought that pretty much everyone in the school hating him rubbing him up the wrong way, and he found it almost suffocating in the hallway. His hand gripped his phone in his pocket tightly, his nails pressing into the fragile screen and threatening to smash it again if he didn't let up.

Bakura's voice was quiet amongst the enraging cacophony of noise blaring in his ears, but he could just make out the question that his best friend asked gently. "Mariku, did you remember to take your meds?"

"Yes." He replied through gritted teeth, finding the question annoying regardless of who asked it. At least, he hoped he had remembered to take his medication, trying to think back to that morning before he left the house to go to Bakura's. It was all a haze. Trying to push through it was futile, and so he kept walking with a dazed look in his eyes, ignoring everything as he wondered why he couldn't remember again.

"Okay, but you nearly threw that kid into the wall back there and now you look like you're ready to murder everyone with your phone." Bakura pointed out, guiding Mariku into the classroom before he could threaten another student that kicked a ball that almost hit him in the face. Only a few students in their class were sitting around, waiting for the others to join them and the teacher to finish typing so that they could begin the lesson. Practically trying to hide behind Bakura, Mariku snuck over to his desk near the window, nearly falling over in his seat when he sat down. Out of all the wooden desks in the classroom, his was the most damaged and vandalised, with drawings and curse words scratched into the wood with the pointed end of a compass. They were detailed enough, with outlines of birds and various designs that he did while he was bored, the feeling of rough wood rubbing against the tip of his finger as he dragged it along the lines of his drawings.

"Glad to see you bothered coming in today, Mariku." The teacher piped up from the front, still staring at his screen when Mariku's eyes shot up from his desk. The other students spared some glances when they thought he couldn't see them, some whispers echoing through the air, loud in his ears like they were shouting them at him rather than whispering. It was all the same anyway. Replying with a simple grunt, he listened as the teach finally turned away from his computer and stood up, still hilariously short compared to the teenager with a pair of thick goggle glasses sitting on the end of his nose, greyed hair parted in an unflattering style. "I hope you haven't forgotten about our little talk after school?"

"I have a doctor's appointment after school, Mr Nakamura." He lied, leaning against the palm of his hand.

Nakamura approached the back of the class, walking straight towards him while Mariku was unmoving, watching through half lidded eyes until he stopped right in front of the student, staring with a deep frown as he saw right through that lie. "You've had that excuse for the past four days."

"I'm a real sick guy." Mariku retorted, willing to keep going with this charade that happened every time he step foot in that classroom. The furrowing of the eyebrows on the teacher's face signalled that he got to him, a sly smirk threatening to appear on Mariku's face as he fought the urge down, seeing no reason to further antagonise Nakamura any more than he was doing so. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed Bakura watching with a slow shake of his head, silently telling Mariku to pack it in before he made the situation worse for himself. He hated when the other student told him to reign it in, enjoying watching the small changes in the teacher's face as he continued to rage over his student's retorts. Finally, he turned away and stared up at the front while mumbling. "Fine, I'll be there."

"I'll make sure you don't slip through the toilets' window again." Nakamura added, receiving a glare from Mariku while he returned to the front of the class to begin the lesson. Most of the students had made it in time, only a few stumbling in a few minutes late blurting out apologies before taking their seats. Mariku wasn't paying much attention to the lesson, staring at the board as the teacher went through explaining some kind of theorem, the numbers and diagrams on the board jumbling up in his mind, and he couldn't even begin to understand what Nakamura was saying. Instead of continuing to listen to the boring lecture, he felt his eyes drift around the room, staring at some of the posters that the younger students did and hung up, the handwriting ranging from illegible squiggles to beautiful cursive writing.

Faint whispering could be heard from the students sitting right in front of him, Mariku turning his attention and realising that it was Jonouchi and Honda muttering to each other, talking about things that he didn't care much for, but he knew it definitely wasn't the class that they were talking about. Nakamura hadn't noticed the lack of attention the teenage boys were giving to his lesson, droning on about the numbers at the front while Jonouchi muttered. "I gotta do some overtime for the next few weeks."

"Yeah, I overheard you talking to your mom about it this morning." Honda replied, keeping his voice low as he asked. "Is this about your sister?"

That caught Mariku's attention. Eavesdropping on their conversation, he completely tuned out the teacher's boring voice as he watched Jonouchi nod, pausing to sneak a peek at the teacher, only continuing when he was certain that Nakamura was distracted with teaching the class about maths. "Shizuka needs this operation to help fix her eyesight. My mom can pay some of it, but she needs my help. If I can't get the money together my sister's gonna go blind."

"Don't worry, man. I'm sure you can figure this out." Honda comforted, flashing a smile at Jonouchi before they turned their attention back to the lesson. Well that was interesting. Mariku knew very little about Jonouchi's sister, if anything considering everything he knew he got from listening to Malik drone on and on about what's going on in his friendship group. Something about his parents splitting and Jonouchi living with his father for a while, his younger sister living with their mother in America. It somewhat reminded him of his family moving to Japan from Egypt. Just twelve years old, the younger Mariku was terrified of the new strange place, so different from home with people unlike those he was used to.

Drifting back into his thoughts to spare him the boredom of the lesson, he carried on looking around the room, paying anything besides the board attention until he noticed Bakura scribbling down notes in his book. Focusing on what Nakamura was saying and writing down scribbles in the notebook, he didn't even notice the stares that Mariku was giving him, watching while leaning into the palm of his hand. It was almost commendable. It was only when he noticed Bakura turning to look over in confusion did he realise that he had dozed off staring at him, quickly turning away with a heat washing over his face. Not very subtle, but he didn't want Bakura questioning him late over why he was staring at him for God knows how long. He didn't even know what it was that kept dragging his gaze back to his friend. The tightness in his chest confused him, his mind unable to make heads or tails of his own thoughts and feelings, but he definitely knew that it was something different than what he felt towards his family and Bakura's siblings.

Ryou was sweet and Amane always had his back, albeit begrudgingly, yet he saw them as just Bakura's siblings, maybe even close enough for them to be his only friends outside of Bakura. Yet every time he locked eyes with his classmate and best friend, his heart sped up inside his chest, hammering away against his ribcage so loud that he sometimes thought that everyone could hear it. Maybe he was just being silly. By the time the bell rang to tell the class that their lesson was over, he couldn't stop the blush from colouring his tanned skin even darker, sitting there deep in thought before Bakura suddenly appeared by his side, staring down as he pointed out. "Lesson's over. You'd better hurry if you don't wanna be late for next class."

"Yeah, fine." He stammered back, standing up with his backpack slung over his shoulder. "It's a good thing you're pretty."

An eyebrow raised in response. Realising what he just said, his mind screamed at him internally while Bakura repeated what he said. "You think I'm pretty?"

"If you mean pretty annoying about school, then yeah." He quickly retorted, still screaming internally while Bakura just gave him a look, before the latter chuckled softly and gestured for the both of them to leave the classroom. Moving around the various desks, they had reached the door when the teacher called out to Mariku.

"Mariku, I'd like a word with you now, please." Pausing in the doorway, the taller of the two turned around with a confused look, Bakura standing behind him waiting for them to leave for their next lesson.

"Pretty sure that was meant to be at the end of the school day." Mariku pointed out, going to leave when Nakamura called after him again.

"Mariku. Come here _now."_ The last word was said with a more forceful tone. Stopping in his tracks, Mariku shared a look with Bakura as the former gritted his teeth together, already knowing that this conversation with the teacher was gonna test him to no end. Bakura didn't get in the way, rather just flashing him a sly smirk and making his way to his next lesson, unwilling to be late because Mariku tried to start another fight with his maths teacher. Alone in the classroom, he closed the door and walked back towards Nakamura's desk, refusing the seat offered to him as he stood there silently, arms crossing over his chest and eyes narrowed down as the teacher gave him the same intense stare. It was no lie that he hated the rebellious student, but he kept a professional face on as he explained to Mariku. "Now, I wanted to talk to you about your work."

"What about it?" Mariku asked.

"Well, the matter of the fact is you haven't _done_ any work." Nakamura revealed, looking over something that was clearly interesting on that computer screen given how much time he had his face jammed up against it. "We've been talking with you sister. As your guardian, she's finding it… hard to control your behaviour nowadays. You don't bother coming into school, and when you do you terrorise the students and don't bother doing any work that your teachers give you. Even today, you were busy staring at Bakura rather than paying attention to my class."

The mention of Bakura caused that flustered look that he managed to push down flare back up again. Glancing away from his teacher, he listened as Nakamura added in a curious tone. "Mariku, is there something going on between you and Bakura?"

"No."

"You know, there's no shame about it. We have resources in the school to help you." Nakamura pressed on, looking away from his computer at the student standing in front of him. Grinding his teeth together, he tried desperately to hold his tongue, listening as his teacher carried on. "Irregardless, I believe that it may be best if you and your guardian has a meeting with the principle to talk about whether you should be allowed to remain in this school or not. We've reached the end point here, and if you don't buck your ideas up, you'll find yourself expelled."

"All this because I don't pay attention to your stupid ass maths lesson?" He suddenly snapped, feeling his control over his anger quickly unravelling before he could do anything to stop it. Nakamura gave him an insulted look, moving to say something before Mariku cut him off angrily. "I don't even fucking understand what you're saying half the time, but I still bothered to come in, and now I'm gonna be expelled!"

"It's not definite, yet-"

"Whatever, I'm outta here." Mariku interrupted, turning on his heel and storming out of the classroom. The door slamming shut echoed loudly through the empty corridor, and rather than stick around to get an earful of Nakamura's angry scoldings, Mariku walked briskly down the hallway towards the exit, unable to stop his teeth grinding together and his hands flexing and unflexing by his sides. Thankfully there was no one around to suffer his wrath, but a window was unfortunately his victim instead as he punched a fist sized hole through it, feeling the warm sensation of blood running down from the cuts he gave to himself. Pulling his hand back, he stared down at his bloodied limb with narrowed eyes, trying to push through the pain while he finally escaped the close confines of the school, stumbling out into the sun with his hand held close to his chest.

His mind started growing fuzzy. Unsure where he was going or why he lost it like he did, he couldn't stop the thoughts from running through his mind quickly, different scenarios from his actions playing at the back of his mind while he frantically tried to get home. There was no doubt his outburst would be used against him. The principle would likely expel him after his argument with Nakamura, and Ishizu would have to enrol him into another school. That was if any other school would have the delinquent who didn't know anything besides fighting and generally being an asshole. Breathing quickening, he felt like he couldn't get any air in his lungs, heaving in gulps of air yet unable to shake the tightness that was growing in his chest. He couldn't breathe. Those that saw the bleeding teenager stumbling around gave him a wide berth, and he couldn't stand the constant stares on his back. Everywhere he went, they were there, staring, whispering bullshit about him, and he couldn't control himself as he shouted loudly in the face of a group of people. "Stop fucking _staring at me!"_

They jumped back, practically running away from him as he carried on his way, finding the surrounding streets familiar and yet foreign at the same time. It felt like he had been walking forever, but eventually he found himself on his street, spotting his house at the bottom. His hand was killing him, the small glass shards still stuck in his flesh as he completely forgot to take them out, the blood dripping out of his wounds staining the front of his white shirt. It would be a nightmare explaining his injuries to Ishizu and Rishid when they got home from work. That was if Malik hadn't heard about his episode along the student grape vine. Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket, Mariku fiddling around to grab hold of it before wrenching it out and staring at the screen, feeling his chest tighten even more when he saw that it was Bakura having messaged him.

_Lesson's almost over, you done with your talk with Nakamura?_

Not bothering to message him back, he shoved his phone back in his pocket and instead rummaged around for his keys, stumbling up the drive to his front door before he managed to find them. It took a few attempts but he managed to get the key in the lock and open the door, retreating into his house and slamming the door shut behind him. The force he put behind the slamming caused the frame to vibrate, the sound echoing through the empty house as he leant against it. His bleeding hand hanging by his side, dripping droplets of blood on the clean wooden floor, he stared at the mirror hanging on the wall just over the cubby hole that Ishizu left for all their shoes. Disheveled hair and glazed over eyes stared back at him, the pain spreading up his arm like wildfire, burning him until he finally tore himself away and ran up the stairs. His hand would have to be treated, but he didn't want to go to the hospital again. There'd be questions and reports, people prodding him, asking why he did what he did. He didn't _know_ why he did it. So, he'd just take care of himself. No hospital.

When he shoved the bathroom door open, he almost smashed the glass shower that was to his right as he entered the room, though he paid no attention as he went straight for the medicine cabinet sitting above the sink. All the bottles of face cream and whatever beauty product Ishizu enjoyed putting on her face were pushed aside, a few falling into the sink bowl below until Mariku found the bottle of painkillers at the back, near his own medication. Grabbing the bottle, he swallowed a couple of pills drying and coughed roughly, shoving the bottle in and leaving the mess behind, making his way to his bedroom at the end of the hallway. It was only the small box room, big enough to fit a bed and dresser for his clothes, though little else. Locking the door behind him, he kneeled down beside his bed and pulled out a small shoebox from underneath, sitting back with his back pressed against the door. It was unassuming, but inside was bits and pieces that he used to patch himself up everytime he stumbled home bloodied and broken, having kept this box a secret from his siblings. Opening it up, he grabbed some bandages and tweezers that he took from Ishizu's belongings a while ago.

Using the tweezers, he pulled out the shards of glass sticking out of his flesh, sucking in a breath as the pain worsened. Still, he kept at it until he couldn't see anymore glass in his hand, looking at the blood free to pour down his hand and drip onto his carpeted floor. Bandages in hand, he wrapped his bleeding hand up, trying to keep the bandages from slipping off his hand when he finished. Alone, he sat in his tiny room with the box being thrown back under his bed, the contents rolling out away from it. Mariku didn't bother cleaning it up, leaning his head against the wooden door as he heard his phone pinging loudly, the sound constantly ringing in his ears as he kept getting messages. Phone in hand, he blankly read through each message in his inbox, seeing Malik's name at the top of each message.

_Mariku, the teacher just asked me where you went. I know what happened. Text me where you are._

Five minutes later.

_Where are you? Bakura hasn't seen you in last lesson, and you aren't hanging around your usual spots. Please, text me._

Eleven minutes later.

_WHERE ARE YOU?! Mariku, please, just tell me you're okay! No one knows where you are and Bakura's worried. Did you go home?_

Fifteen minutes later.

_I'm on my way home. Be there when I get there._

Dropping the phone to the ground beside him, he pulled out the bottle of vodka and orange juice from his pocket, taking a huge gulp of it to calm down his frayed nerves. His breathing was easier and less painful, lungs wracked as he coughed up violently from his drink, his chest aching terribly with each breath he took. The silence was suffocating around him, his phone still pinging with messages beside him. Without giving it another glance, he launched it against the wall, listening to the crunching sounds and the loud crack as no doubt his phone screen broke on impact. The pinging kept echoing in his ears, before all went silent as his phone finally died. The painkillers were working, the pain emitting from his damaged hand fading away, but as he carried on drinking his alcoholic concoction while sitting on the floor, his vision started to blur. Nausea caused bile to rise at the back of his throat, Marik barely able to get to the waste bin he kept in his room for ruined sketches before he vomited up his guts.

The acidic taste on his tongue caused him to grimace, his stomach heaving and churning around as he tried to stop bringing up his lunch and drink. Glancing up, he could barely see the bed in front of him as the world around him spun wildly, his heart hammering in his chest with every heartbeat amplified immensely. Having emptied his stomach of all contents, he dropped his near empty bottle on the floor, spilling the rest of the contents onto the carpet before he collapsed on his bed, face pushed into the pillow when he heard knocking on his door. Malik's voice, warped and distorted, called from behind the locked door as the knob jiggled around, his brother truly fruitlessly to open it up. "Mariku! Mariku, are you in there?!"

He couldn't reply, his world turning dark as he finally blacked out, unable to hear Malik banging on the door and yelling to be let in.

Shit.


	2. A New Plan

No reply. Bakura knew that he wouldn't get an answer every five seconds that he checked his phone, but he couldn't stop the anxious sensation tearing his insides apart. Mariku had disappeared. He left him with Nakamura, going on to his next class, half expecting to see his best friend coming in ten minutes later with half hearted apologies. Except he didn't show, and when he waited at the gates leading out of the school for the missing student, he was instead greeted by Mariku's panicking brother. None of the words that were flung at him at high speeds actually made sense, but when he managed to calm down Malik, the truth quickly came out and made his chest tighten in worry. "Mariku's gone missing."

He should have gone to look for him. Malik only shared a few words, most of them lost upon Bakura as he tried to think about what exactly happened while he was gone. Was the talk between Mariku and their teacher really that bad? Enough that it spurred another uncontrollable outburst and the student abandoning the school day again for destinations unknown. With the white haired boy stuck in his thoughts, trying to decipher the situation during his absence, he almost didn't catch Malik leaving his company, explaining about going to the different hideouts that his brother seemed to enjoy lurking around whenever he wasn't in school or home. Maybe he had gone back to Bakura's. Left alone for a few minutes, he thought about just letting Ryou walk home by himself and join Malik in his search, but he had so much to do, with looking after Amane and Ryou and his own schoolwork needing to be done. It only made him feel worse when Ryou appeared walking down the path, that usual smile on his face disappeared with worry and concern plaguing his face.

He knew.

Of course he would. Ryou was Malik's friend, and the two were always together and sharing secrets. Outside Bakura, Ryou knew all about the problems going on in his friend's family thanks to Mariku. All the way on their walk home, the two brothers didn't utter a single word, with Bakura constantly checking his messages, half expecting a crappy explanation from Mariku but confirmation that he was in fact alright. The tightness in his chest worsened when he kept seeing no reply to his message from before the last lesson ended for the day.

_Lesson's almost over, you done with your talk with Nakamura?_

"Do you think he's alright?" Ryou piped up, staring at the phone in Bakura's hand.

Shoving it back in his jacket pocket, he stared ahead as they reached familiar streets, the faces walking past the brothers familiar with only warm stares and smiles given to them. He ignored them, feeling his stomach jump and twist when they came to the end of his street. Mariku would be there. Every time he had to go somewhere to cool off, Bakura always found him standing on his front step with that stupid grin of his and some excuse as to why he had to stay the night. It was either Ishizu or Malik or even those dreaded video chats with his father back in Egypt, but Bakura always let him in and sleep in their father's bed. Ever since he left the family to go on that archeological trip to Egypt, he found Mariku using his house as a safe place more and more often. Quickly, he ran up the path to his front door and patted his pants pocket for the key, fiddling around with them when he eventually found them. The door swung open, nearly smacking into the wall with the amount of force Bakura put into it, yet he paid no attention to the damaged wall as he stormed inside, Ryou following after him while shedding off his school bag and shoes.

"Mariku?!" Bakura called out loudly, peering into the living room and kitchen to see if that familiar tanned figura was standing there. When he saw nothing, he paused in the doorway, wondering where Amane had disappeared to. Suddenly, he spotted a piece of paper left on the coffee table, plucking it up between his slender fingers and reading it with a deep frown. He recognized the curvy handwriting of his younger sister, the words scribbled on the back of one of Bakura's letters that he got in the mail.

_I've gone out with friends. I'll be back after dinner, we're eating out. Amane xx_

Bakura dropped the letter back on the table, grateful that she actually bothered to tell him where she was going this time, but he turned his attention back to finding Mariku. The egyptian didn't respond to his calls, Bakura rushing out of the living room and up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. He might have gone to sleep off his outburst. Opening the door leading into his father's bedroom, he didn't see the shape of Mariku under the covers, finding the room devoid of any human life within. So, he closed the door with a quiet curse, going into the next bedroom that he shared with Ryou. Bursting inside, he looked around the room to see if Mariku had taken refuge here. Two single beds pushed up against the opposite walls, Ryou's side of the bedroom completely littered with those RPG figurines that he was obsessed with, some bought and others hand-made. Staring at them on the shelf above the bed, he noticed that his younger brother had made some more resembling himself and his group of friends.

They were quite cute, but he turned his attention back to the lack of Mariku in the room. He was nowhere to be seen. With a sigh, he plonked down onto his bed and laid down, staring at the white ceiling above through half lidded eyes. His phone slowly came into view in front of his face, the concerned teenager sending another message to Malik. Hopefully the other student had more luck in finding where Mariku had gone off to.

_He's not at mine. Did you find him yet?_

Pressing send, he dropped the phone on the space by his head, unmoving while he couldn't stop the thoughts from running through his mind. The warm rays from outside beamed through his uncovered window, bathing his pasty skin in a bright glow as he slowly turned his head to stare at the clear skies above. Hands moving to rest on his stomach, he listened to footsteps wondering in the hallway, before settling down right in front of his still open door. He knew it was Ryou, but didn't bother turning to look over at the younger brother, instead lying there while Ryou quietly called out. "I can start dinner tonight, if you want?"

Without saying a word, Bakura just turned his head and stared at his brother standing in the doorway. Having shedded off his school jacket, he stood there in his immaculate white shirt and dark pants, staring down at the older sibling lying there on the bed with a weak smile, obviously trying to keep the situation light. In all honesty, it brought a rare smile to Bakura's face whenever he saw Ryou's kind nature show through. It helped him get through those days that just did everything it could to bring him down. Nodding in response, he waited until Ryou disappeared from sight before letting the smile slip once more, glancing up at the ceiling again until he heard his phone ping next to him. Hopeful, he sat up into a sitting position and grabbed his phone, reading the message that he got. It was Malik, but his words made tha hope fizzle out instantly.

_No, I've texted him but he still won't answer. I'm gonna go home and see if he's there._

Shit. Texting his response back, he sat there, leaned forward with his chin grasped by the fingers of his free hand. Phone in other hand, he thought through what he could do. Mariku wasn't in any of his hiding spots, nor was he bothering to answer any of their calls or texts, and it just made Bakura groan in frustration, moving his hand up so that it shielded his eyes from the harsh sunlight that continued to beam in. Harshly, he pulled the curtains over his windows, blocking out most of the light and casting his entire room in shade, most of the colour seemingly being sucked out from the lack of light. Shoes still on, he quietly undid the laces and pulled them off, tossing them over to the front door and rubbing his ankle slowly, feeling the tension slowly melt away until he could freely move his foot without it aching something terrible. White hair splayed all over his pillow as he flounced down onto it, his head sinking into the soft egyptian cotton as he laid there silently. The light from his screen caused his eyes to squint, the pain brief and minimal as he slowly got used to it.

With Malik having gone back home, he decided to try and contact Mariku again, just to see if he'd get lucky this time and actually get a response out of his friend. Typing away, he sent a few messages and went off his inbox, instead staring at the background that he had for his phone. It was him and the whole family on a trip to Egypt, Bakura standing in the middle with his siblings on both sides and his father standing behind him, all of them save Bakura smiling brightly while he looked flustered. Or it could have been the heat stroke. Sunscreen rubbed on his face enough that he could make out a white stripe running down his nose, he had the smallest smile possible, some people unable to see it when they looked at the picture, but it was there. It was around the sixth trip to Egypt the family took, fourth without their mother there, and his heart ached at the empty space next to where his father stood. His mother was British, but she loved Egypt and its history just as much as their father did, having met him on one such trip to Cairo. Father used to tell the siblings the stories of how they met and their marriage before they had Bakura, but those stories were long gone.

He guessed it was as painful to remember them for his father as it was for Bakura.

Checking his inbox one last time, he saw no reply to his numerous texts and decided to leave it there, hopeful for a text from Malik once he got home and found Mariku. There was nowhere else for the missing student to go. He had to be there. Putting it on charge and leaving the phone on his bedside table between the two beds, he decided to help Ryou with dinner and carry on with his schoolwork. The smell of dinner wafted in from downstairs, his mouth watering as Bakura followed after it, leaving his bedroom door open and making his way back down the stairs. The sound of sizzling could be heard as soon as he reached the bottom, the eldest walking into the archway leading into the kitchen and seeing what was going on. Ryou was busy cooking away, too distracted to see Bakura there as he kept an eye on the vegetables cooking away in a wok, pushing them around to stop them from burning. His long hair, even longer than Bakura's, was tied up in a ponytail to keep it from getting in his eyes and the food, and it was weird seeing how much resemblance he shared with Amane.

Doe eyes glanced over, a smile on the younger brother's face as he lifted the spoon with a cheerful tone. "I'm making stir fry tonight."

"I can see. Need a hand?" Bakura offered, entering the kitchen while Ryou glanced around.

Lips pursed in thought, he carried on pushing the vegetables around as they sizzled loudly, before pointing to the cupboard where they kept the plates as he asked. "If you can get some plates out, that'd be a help."

Chuckling in response, he was amused with the roles completely reversed, but nonetheless moved to the cupboard and grabbed two plates out of it, shutting the door again and laying the plates out on the counter near the oven so that Ryou could plate up the food. With his given task done, he couldn't help but watch Ryou cook, making sure that he did everything exactly how the older sibling would do, and it wasn't long before the other teenager noticed the stares at paused cooking, letting the spoon rest on the side of the wok as he pointed out. "Do you always have to stare at me while I cook?"

"I'm just making sure you don't burn it." He answered back, leaning against the counter with his cheek resting in the palm of his hand. "I enjoy charred food but not incinerated, and where's the meat?"

"I thought we'd have a nice vegetarian meal tonight. Malik told me about the various ways you can flavour vegetables to make them taste amazing." Ryou revealed, furrowing his eyebrows as Bakura let out a disappointed groan. "It's delicious, and I'm almost done."

"Whatever you say." He shot back, pushing himself off the counter when Ryou finished cooking up the vegetables. He didn't want to admit it, but the various smells wafting from the food did make his mouth continue to water, and even without the meat that he usually ate, the dish certainly looked delicious. Though, he wouldn't let Ryou or Malik know that as he picked up his plate, taking his food through into the living room and settling down in his armchair. The cushion sank under his weight, his legs tucked underneath his body as he shuffled about, getting himself comfortable while Ryou followed in after him, leaving his plate of food on the table while he decided on what to put on for dinner. The unspoken rule was no horror movies during dinner, especially the more gruesome ones that the younger sibling enjoyed watching. Bakura didn't feel like watching people being torn apart while enjoying his vegetable stir fry.

While Ryou busied himself with the choice, Bakura picked up his book from the table, balancing his food on his knee as he opened to the last place he read the other day. Ignoring the rustling and clatter of DVDs in the background, he read in silence while enjoying the food resting on his knee, chewing on a mouthful of garlic seasoned vegetables. Similar to many things in the house, the book in his hand was about Ancient Egypt, the story following a slave named Taita and his life during the era, as well as the Hyksos invasion that pushed the egyptian population to flee with the slave. Eventually returning to his homelands, the newly found Pharoah and his armies defeated the Hyksos and reclaimed their once conquered lands. It was a favourite of Bakura's, his fingers moving along the engravement of the title in the cover; _River God._ He once remembered Malik and Mariku coming around to his home one day, the older sibling discovering this book and reading it at Bakura's suggestion, something completely unlike Mariku whatsoever. He barely had the patience to read a summary on the back of the book's cover, and yet he stayed on Bakura's bed with the book in hand until he finally finished it, unexpectedly giving it back and telling Bakura that he enjoyed it.

Maybe it was because the story followed his homeland's history. Either way, it was a pleasant surprise for the white haired teenager when he was returned the book and it wasn't vandalised or destroyed beyond repair, unlike the numerous school books that were given to Mariku only for him to return the week following with it in tatters. He only ever seen one book in Mariku's possession that wasn't ruined, but no one was allowed to look into it. Even him. Everytime he asked, Mariku would become flustered and try to change the subject, though he would get aggressive to anyone who tried to open it. Bakura respected his privacy, and he guessed that was why Mariku was more lenient with his best friend than other people. Eventually, the small print started to morph together on the page, Bakura finding himself unable to concentrate as the movie that Ryou finally decided on continued to play in the background. Peeking over the top of his book, he saw that it was one of the more lighter horror movies, hardly any gruesome in it, and decided to just leave it for tonight while trying to focus reading his book.

The screaming and jumpscares did little to help his concentration, and eventually he gave up on reading his book altogether and tossed it back on the coffee table. There were numerous letters and paper littering the top of the table, the sight reminding Bakura that he would have to clean up the house soon before the mess became unbearable to live with, though he pushed the chore away until tomorrow. It would be fine until then. Leaning back into his chair, he watched the TV screen with dinner in hand, eating slowly while trying to understand what it was that drew Ryou into the genre of horror. It wasn't scary at all, and he felt that the jumpscares were all too predictable and plain. Eventually, he voiced his opinion. "Why'd you even like this stuff?"

"Huh?" Ryou replied, having not been paying much attention to his brother as he turned to look over at Bakura. Quickly, he realised what the other sibling asked and glanced back at the TV screen, just in time to see one of the character being dragged off into the night, likely to be murdered horribly given the blood-curdling screams that followed. "They're interesting. This one's more psychological horror than the traditional stuff, though."

"Well, it's boring and predictable." Bakura retorted, leaning into his hand with the elbow propped up on the arm of his chair, continuing to spoon more mouthfuls of food into his mouth while watching through half lidded eyes. Psychological horror. If he was honest, it just seemed like the same bullshit that Ryou watched with less gore, and the gore was the best part of a horror movie in his opinion.

Ryou huffed at that, watching the movie with an annoyed expression when he mumbled. "Well, you don't have to watch it if you don't want to."

"I was trying to read my book before this monstrosity ruined my concentration." He shot back, chewing on the last of his dinner before placing the empty plate on the table. Ryou stared at it, lifting his gaze up to Bakura as the latter settled back down, comfortable in his chair when he ordered. "Your turn to wash the dishes."

"I cooked dinner. You're on dish duty." Ryou replied, turning his attention back to his movie while putting his empty plate on top of Bakura's. The older sibling sat there, staring at his brother watching the DVD in silence before slowly looking down at the empty plates ready to be washed. With a sigh and no more said in his defense, he gave up and stood from his seat, picking up the empty plates and taking them back into the kitchen. Left by the sink, he started running the hot water and added the liquid soap, letting his hands soak in them while adjusting the amount of hot water needed, soon finding it at that temperature where his skin was melting off his flesh. Washing the plates clean, he stood there in silence, listening only to the squeaking below as the sponge rubbed against the plate, and the sounds from the TV in the other room following after him.

Anxiety continued to tear him apart from the inside, his thoughts unable to push Mariku away as he worried over the teenager. It was no use just standing there, washing the dishes and reading while his friend was missing, but he knew that there was nothing he could do. Malik would at least let him know when he found him, that much he was certain about, and for now he pushed those thoughts to the back and carried on with his chores, pulling out a soaking plate to leave to dry in the dish rack near the sink. With everything washed, he dried his hands with the dish cloth, moving towards the fridge as he decided to get himself a drink. Opening it up, he stared down at the orange juice carton left near the milk, picking it up and weighing it in his hand. Almost empty. Mariku didn't had to use all of it. Drinking the last of the remains straight out of the carton, he wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and tossed the empty carton in the trash, noticing an empty glass bottle there. That wasn't there when he left this morning.

Fishing it out, he looked over the object in his hands, unable to determine what it was from the lack of label on it. Slowly, he sniffed and immediately recoiled, realising that it was the vodka bottle that Mariku must had left behind when he showed up this morning. At least he got rid of the evidence before coming to school. Tossing it back in, he returned to the living room, picking up the school bag that he left when he first came in just before. Until he found out more from Malik, he could at least finish up the homework he had due in tomorrow. Ryou carried on watching, lying across the couch fully with his chin resting on the arm of the couch. He looked almost exhausted, his normally wide eyes half closed while the movie carried on playing, one of his hands lounged over the arm by his head with the other tucked under his body, the position looking very uncomfortable as Bakura stared at him. Deciding to leave him alone, the older teenage boy turned his attention to the equations in his book, pen balanced on his ear as he tried to figure them out.

Glancing between them and his notes that he took in lesson today, he leaned into his hand with eyes narrowing in frustration. He understood Mariku's adamant hatred for the subject. Still, he was able to decipher the complicated equations with the help of his notes, working through them in complete silence while Ryou looked like he was ready to fall asleep. Eventually, the movie that he put on came to an end, the credits scrolling through the screen until everything went black, the main title suddenly appearing again for one of them to click the play button. It must have been more than an hour that Bakura had been working, his eyes flashing over to the clock hanging on the wall to check the time. 6pm. Amane should be coming home soon. Returning to his work, he carried on finishing up the last of the equations, when he heard something vibrate on the coffee table, looking up from his work again with an annoyed glare.

It was Ryou's phone. The screen lit up with Malik's name flashing, the phone put on silent with Ryou likely having forgotten to take it off after school hours. Abandoning his work, Bakura was careful not to disturb the sleeping Ryou as he scooped the phone off the table, answering the call and bringing the phone to his ear. "Malik, what's up?"

"Bakura? I've just been trying to ring you for ages!" Malik's voice snapped on the other end, and a short pause following it before he suddenly asked. "Where's Ryou?"

"Asleep on the couch. I left my phone upstairs to charge, what's wrong?" Bakura explained, somehow knowing that the conversation was somehow about Mariku. His chest tightened again, that anxiety worsening with each second passing, and yet there was a glimpse of hope there, something that stop him from going insane from the anticipation. Malik was silent on the other end, though he could hear something jiggling in the background on the other end.

"I think Mariku's locked himself in his room. He ain't answering me." Malik eventually revealed. Bakura couldn't stop that sigh of relief escaping his lips. Mariku was safe, but the worried tone in the younger teen allowed that anxiety to return once more. When the jiggling on the other end of the call stopped, he listened as Malik yelled loudly, banging on the door. "Mariku! I know you're in there, open the door! ...I don't know what to do, Bakura."

"Where's Ishizu and Rishid?"

"They're stuck working overtime tonight. I was just on the phone with Ishizu, but she can't leave work until later on tonight. I don't know what's going on with him, Bakura, but he's getting worse." The tone in Malik's voice was tired yet scared. It didn't surprise Bakura that he was tearing himself apart trying to look after his older brother, the two getting on with each other most of the time, until Mariku's temper and problems sent them all the way back to square one. It was saddening to see how hard Malik tried to help his brother.

Bakura looked over at Ryou silently, staring a the peaceful face he was pulling while he continued to sleep, blissfully unaware of what was going on with his brother and best friend. When he didn't respond to Malik's confession after moments of silence, he heard the voice in his ear call out quietly. "Bakura? You still there?"

"Just keep trying to get the door open." He explained, making his way to the front door while quickly adding. "I'm coming over. I'll be about ten minutes."

"Okay, see ya soon, Bakura." Hanging up, he shoved the phone in his pocket and wrenched the front door open, slamming it behind him as he ran down the path and through the front gate. Not bothering to close it behind him, he didn't stop running even after nearly colliding with Rin, the teenage girl making her way out of the store she worked in before she was nearly bowled over by the rushed Bakura, the latter ignoring her calls of confusion as he continued running. Even though he was grateful that Mariku had been found, he couldn't stop the intrusive thoughts over what was wrong with him, and with Malik unable to get into the room, he feared for the worst. Mariku still had the alcohol on him from this morning, and if he decided to go on another drunken bender, there was no telling what he would do. Bakura would have to hurry.

The canal walkways were the quickest way to Mariku's street, but it was full of all sorts of unsavoury people at this time of day, and Bakura didn't want to risk running into his friend's old gang while running about down there. So, he took the streets above, hoping that he could get to Malik's in time. People jumped out of his way, some confused over where he was running to while others yelled insults in anger over nearly being thrown aside by him, though all their words fell on deaf ears when he turned down a street. His legs ached terribly, lungs feeling like they were on fire with every breathful of air he took feeling like a thousand knives cutting up his windpipe. It was agony. He should really go to gym class more often, but he ignored the pain for now as he saw the familiar street signs on the corner of the junction. Slowing to a stop, he took a brief break to catch his breath back, gulping deep mouthfuls of air so that the pain in his chest would stop. Almost doubled over, he stared up ahead, seeing the street that the Ishtars lived on and looked down at Ryou's phone.

Malik hadn't sent any messages since he left, and yet he could only worry about that rather than be relieved.

He felt the severe need to vomit up his organs. However, he managed to push the reflex down and carried on, slowing down to a slight jog as he neared the street. It was a beautiful neighbourhood, with some of the children that lived there enjoying the break after school and playing about. A small group of boys, all of them looking no older than twelve, enjoyed kicking about a ball, running up and down the empty street enjoying their game. Completely focused on their game, they ignored Bakura walking up the pavement towards the Ishtar household, shouting and playful yells echoing through the warm summer air. It was cute, but Bakura turned his attention elsewhere when he found himself by the front gate leading to Malik's house. Staring up, he stared at the clean brickwork and freshly painted window sills, noticing that the window leading into Mariku's room was covered by his curtains. Breathing in deeply, his hand rubbed his side, trying to massage out a stitch that he got from the exertion while he made his way up to the front door.

He only knocked twice, and after waiting for a few moments, he was greeted by a stressed Malik pulling the door open forcefully. Without uttering a word, he pulled Bakura inside and closed the door behind them, leading the stunned teenager up the stairs and down the hallway towards a closed door at the end, releasing his wrist and trying to open the door again. With no luck, he turned back to Bakura and finally spoke. "I've been trying for hours to get him out."

"How'd you know he's even in there?" Bakura wondered, approaching the door when Malik stepped to the side, standing there as he tried the doorknob. Well, it was definitely locked. Leaving it alone, he turned his head to stare at Malik as the latter explained.

"It locks from the inside." He revealed, crossing his arms while adding. "He put it in after the last breakdown he had ended with his hand torn up and the mirror in the bathroom smashed to pieces."

Humming in response, he turned his attention back to the door, bringing his fist up to the wooden door and rapping his knuckles against it several times, loud enough for the sound to echo in the empty hallway. Still no response. Eventually, he decided that the best way to get into the room was simply to boot the door down, and hoped that Mariku wouldn't kill him when he finished destroying his door. Psyching himself up, he shocked Malik as he delivered a swift kick to the door, managing to put a huge dent the size of his foot just under the door knob. Pausing, he glanced at Malik's widened eyes as the tanned teen spluttered out. "What are you doing?!"

"Well, you wanted to get in, didn't you?" He pointed out in a dull tone, continuing in his attempt to open the door as his companion watched in utter disbelief. Another kick splintered the wood, a small hole appearing in the door that nearly threatened to take his leg with it, Bakura backing off slightly when Malik piped up.

"You ain't kicking it down with the lock still on."

"True." Bakura replied, kneeling down in front of the hole in the door. It was no bigger than his arm, but he could finally see what was going on in the locked room. The curtains made the room darker, the faint outline of Mariku lying face first on his bed the only thing that Bakura could see in the tiny box room, but there was a problem. He wasn't moving. Moving his head back, he tested the size of the hole by pushing his hand through, finding that his muscled arm barely fit through the hole, and so he pulled out with a frustrated sigh. Still kneeling there, he glanced up at Malik, noticing that the teen was watching with his thumb between his teeth, chewing on the skin nervously. "I'm gonna need your arm."

"What'd you think I can do?" He grumbled, removing the thumb from his mouth while glaring down at Bakura.

"You can slip through the hole and reach the lock." Bakura explained, standing up and moving so that Malik could kneel down in front of the hole. Without arguing against it, he decided to do what the older student told him to do and slipped his skinnier arm through the hole, managing to get it through all the way to his shoulder. With cheek pressed against the damaged wood, he fiddled around for a moment, trying to reach the lock that was above the door knob yet having some difficulty finding the thing that he cannot see. Bakura watched him intently, eager to get in and see if Mariku was alright. Even with all the banging and shouting, it hadn't woken him up, and that suggested that something was severely wrong.

While he impatiently stood there, the sound of the lock undoing caused Malik to smile and call up to him. "I think I got it."

They wasted no time in opening the door, Bakura almost trampling Malik before he could even get back to his feet, the former by the bed in an instant and kneeling down in front of Mariku. He was just lying there, his head turned to face them with his eyes closed shut. The stench of alcohol and vomit wafted in Bakura's nose, his sleeve pressed up against his nose to keep the smell at bay. Malik shuffled about behind him, looking around the room before picking something off the floor, calling out to Bakura in a quiet tone. "Bakura, look at this."

Glancing over at him, the first thing that he saw was the bottle in Malik's hand. The cap was gone, and the contents empty with a small puddle on the carpet where the younger Ishtar had discovered the thing, though he instantly recognised it as the bottle that Mariku smuggled into school that morning. He must had drank the whole lot when he got home. The state of the unconscious person on the bed was different, it wasn't like one of those drunken states that Mariku got into and just slept off, he wasn't reacting to the nudges and shakes that Bakura was giving him. Malik appeared by his side, trying to stir his older brother from the unconscious state that he got himself into, and when he wouldn't stir, he swore quietly. "Shit."

"Come on, Mariku, wake up." Bakura muttered to him, unsure what to do. There was always the option to take him to the hospital. His hand moved to grab Ryou's phone from his pocket, noticing his hand shaking slightly while he typed in the number for an ambulance. Malik watched in confusion, only realising what the other teen was doing when he tried to speak calmly. "I need an ambulance, please."

"You're ringing an ambulance?" Malik whispered harshly, clearly afraid of what Mariku would do when he woke up to find himself in the hospital again. Bakura ignored his questions, trying to focus on the woman's voice on the other end of the phone call.

"Okay, what's wrong?" She asked, her calming voice surprisingly doing little to keep Bakura from panicking more over the fact that Mariku refused to wake up. He didn't know if his friend was just unconscious or if he was dying from the strange concoction of alcohol and his medicine, vaguely recalling being told that by Malik at one point.

"My friend," he started, staring down at Mariku's face. Suddenly, he noticed a twitch of his eyebrow and his eyes slowly opening. Relief washed over him, a small smile on his face as he noticed that the awoken teen reached for Ryou's phone, plucking it from his grasp and bringing it to his ear.

"Crisis averted." With that, he buttoned the call and dropped the phone on the floor, lying there as Bakura scooped it up again. Shoving it in his pocket, he listened as Mariku added in a slurred tone. "The fuck you doing phoning the hospital?"

"You fucking idiot, I thought you were dying." Bakura hissed, standing up while Malik helped Mariku get up into a sitting position. He looked terrible, his once tanned skin clammy with sweat rolling down the side of his face, his hair limp and lifeless compared to his usual stiff blond locks, and his eyes continued to stare ahead through half closed lids, almost like he was watching something that was not there. When he eventually managed to sit up by himself, he pushed Malik's helping hands away, remaining silent as Bakura continued to chide him. "What happened with Nakamura? I left you and then all of a sudden, you punched a window and left the school. No one knew where you went off to!"

Mariku remained silent. The anger and frustration replaced all worry and concern that Bakura was previously feeling, the thought that he was at home worried sick while Mariku was lying in bed, practically dying for all he knew, and when he tried to help, he was pushed away again and again and _again._ Wiping away the sweat from his face, he revealed to them in a low tone, leaning forward with his arms resting on his thighs. "They're thinking of expelling me."

"...What?" Malik finally blurted out, standing there dumbfounded at the confession before it all sunk in. Mariku stared up at the younger sibling, watching his face shift from shock and confusion to anger, matching Bakura's expressions as he buried his face in his hand, cursing loudly at the unwell teen sitting in front of them. "I told you. Keep doing what you're doing and they're eventually gonna just expel you. What're we gonna do, Mariku?"

" _I don't know._ " He replied through gritted teeth, a hand running through his wild hair, fingers pulling out the knots as he explained. "Nakamura said that it's not definite, but there's gonna be this meeting with the principle."

"There might be hope then." Bakura piped up, crossing his arms over his chest as the others turned their attention to him. Keeping a cool gaze on Mariku, he revealed the plan. "This is where you need to show that you're willing to change to stay in school. That means getting there on time, no skipping, and trying your best in the lessons. When you have your meeting with the principle, they should see that you're trying to turn things around."

"I've been trying to do that ever since we came to Japan." Malik grumbled. "What makes you think he's gonna start now?"

Mariku kept quiet. When Bakura turned his attention back to him, he saw the other tanned teen moving off the edge of his bed, struggling to balance himself on his own two feet yet rejecting any help offered to him by the others in his room. Without saying anything, he just barged past them towards the bathroom, clutching his stomach in pain and stumbling into the other room. Standing there in silence, the two left behind grimaced at the sound of loud retching, Bakura thinking against going to help Mariku in fear that he would just lash out, and instead turned to carry on the conversation with the younger Ishtar brother. "You have any ideas?"

"Short of dragging him to the school gate every morning, no." Malik shot back, looking down the hallway at the bathroom, listening to the painful sounding retching as Mariku continued to vomit up his organs. Bakura frowned deeply, unable to think of anything that would help them get Mariku to start changing his behaviours, and Malik was right. Short of them physically dragging Mariku to school every morning, he refused to listen to anything they had to say about the way he was acting, and Bakura had to worry about his younger siblings first. However, something popped to mind that might work, and he decided to quietly voice his plan to Malik.

"He could stay with me for a while. I live closer to the school, and he seems to care more about what I say than what Ishizu says." Malik didn't respond at first. Rather, he stood there deep in thought, thinking over the plan that Bakura had suggested while the latter heard the toilet finally flushing, footsteps echoing in the empty hallway as Mariku came back into view. Moving out of the way so he could sit back down on his bed, Bakura watched the weight of the taller teen push the mattress down, before turning his head back to Malik and waiting for his answer.

Finally, Malik gave in and agreed. "It might help."

"What might help?" Mariku piped up, glancing between the both of them while adding with a sly grin. "You two gonna propose finally?"

"Shut up. We've decided that it might be best if you come and stay with me." Bakura revealed. The sly grin vanished instantly at that, Mariku looking over at Malik as the latter had nothing to add to the plan, just watching as his older brother slowly turned his head and stared up at Bakura again. He kept strong, watching as those purple eyes flickered with his mind clearly running through his thoughts, a blank expression on his face while he added softly. "Obviously you should talk this out with Ishizu when she gets home tonight-"

"Why? So she can tell me that I should be more like Malik and less of a fuck up?" Mariku spat bitterly.

"No, because she still loves you and we all want to do what's best to help you through this, Mariku." Malik snapped, rubbing the lower part of his arm as the conversation started to turn more awkward with the mention of their sister. Bakura stayed out of it. It wasn't any of his business what was going on with Mariku and Ishizu, but he would be there to help if he could. His phone vibrated in his pocket suddenly, Bakura rummaging around for it before pulling it out, staring at the new message he got from Ryou, his own name at the top as his younger brother was likely using his phone at the revelation that Bakura took his own.

_Where are you? Amane's come home and Father said he'll talk to us soon._

"Look, I need to get going." He sighed, pocketing his phone again while the brothers watched him. He almost felt guilty for leaving them with this problem, but he didn't want to miss another skype call from his father, knowing how long it would be before he would be able to talk to him again. Malik just nodded understandingly when he added. "Just talk to Ishizu about it. Mariku, I'll see you in school tomorrow."

A grunt was all he got from Mariku. It was the most he would get from the other with the mood he was in, and so left the conversation at that as he made his way down the stairs and out of the house, closing the door behind him. The summer sun dipped behind the buildings, casting long shadows over the streets and cooled the baked pavements down, Bakura feeling the temperature dropping around him quickly. Starting to walk back home, he gently closed the front gate behind him and walked slowly down the street once more, noticing that the children that were playing around before had disappeared somewhere else, likely gone to find a field to play in or were called in by their parents for dinner. The gentle breeze blew through, the trails of his jacket flowing about and his long white hair flying around, the small horns of hair above his face stiff and providing more resistance to the wind, staying in place. The skies above were died multiple colours, a beautiful array of pinks, oranges and purples that happened while the sun continued to drop further behind the buildings, moving closer to the horizon with night following behind.

The people that were crowding the streets before were starting to thin out, those finished with school and work retiring to their homes for the night, unaware of the lone teenage boy walking about on his own. After getting some of that anger out, he could at least admit that he was relieved knowing that Mariku was fine, especially with Malik there to keep an eye on him, though he wasn't jealous of the incoming conversation he would have with Ishizu. The woman was stubborn, though wise, and she and Mariku constantly butted heads over what they would do with his future. Bakura liked her at least. Even though she worked tirelessly, and her work often took her away from her brothers, she still cared enough to try so hard to keep Mariku in school and off the streets with those that he was previously friends with. Crossing the road quickly, Bakura watched cars pass by with a neutral expression, carrying on in silence as the world continued loudly around him, the sound of car horns and shouting being heard in the distance.

Hopefully, Ishizu would agree with his plan and they can work out how to stop this self-destructive behaviour, though he couldn't help but think about what he'd do when his father eventually came home from his trip.

Those thoughts were interrupted when he finally got home, however. Opening the front door, the heat hit him full force, warming up his chilled skin as he closed the door behind him, pausing when he heard muttering from inside the living room. Taking off his jacket, he noticed Ryou's youthful face peering around the corner, an excited expression visible as he turned back to look at something in the living room. "Hold on, father! Bakura's just got back!"

Surprised, the eldest sibling followed after Ryou into the living room, spotting Amane sitting on the couch with the laptop resting on the coffee table, peering up at Bakura with a faint smile. When he returned the gesture, she turned the laptop around while happily explaining. "Father called us early today. He has some exciting news!"

"Yes, if you mind, Amane, I would like to tell Bakura myself." Their father laughed loudly. Bakura sat down beside his sister, staring at the bright screen with the video call tab up, his father sitting there with a warm smile on his worn face. His blue hair pulled back into a ponytail, out of the way of his narrow brown eyes, matching Bakura's own, sitting behind a pair of smart glasses. Clearing his throat, he waved at his eldest son. "How've things been since I left, Bakura?"

"Alright."

"That's good. Amane's been telling me that you've helped her get to her appointments lately. It's been a big help having you there, you know?" He revealed, getting a simple grunt from Bakura. He wanted to have a more personal conversation with their father, but didn't feel comfortable blurting out his problems in front of his younger siblings, and didn't have the luxury of waiting until they went to bed to get the privacy with their father. He seemed to notice Bakura's unwillingness to talk fully, his face falling in confusion as he asked. "Bakura, is everything alright?"

"Yeah… No, not really." He confessed, ignoring the looks he got from Amane and Ryou as he quickly added. "It's nothing. Just some things I've been thinking about."

His father nodded, turning to the younger siblings as he ordered them gently. "Guys, can you give me and Bakura a few minutes alone?"

"We've been waiting for weeks to talk to you, though!" Amane objected, angry with being brushed aside by their father for Bakura. He didn't move when their father give them a look, silently pushing her and Ryou to obey, with the former just sighing softly and nodding. "Alright."

"We can talk when we're done, okay?" He offered, earning a smile from his daughter as she and Ryou stood up from the couch, quickly leaving the room and disappearing upstairs to give Bakura the privacy he wanted. Grateful for that, he waited until he heard doors closing upstairs before turning his attention back to the image of his father on screen. His smile had disappeared, rather appearing worried over what was plaguing his son's mind as he proceeded to question him. "Now, what's been going on?"

"It's Mariku. I was just at his with Malik. He's been drinking again." Bakura revealed, leaning his elbow against the arm of the couch and resting his chin in his hand, slender fingers gripping the end of his chin in thought. The mention of Mariku caused his father to frown deeply, his thoughts on the boy clear for all to see, and he didn't look any better when Bakura continued. "I know you don't like him, but he's my best friend. He was told today that the school may be expelling him."

"I'm not surprised with his behaviour. I understand that you feel like you have to help him because of your friendship, but I would advise that you look after yourself and your siblings first." His father instructed, pushing his glasses back up his nose. The light from the background in Egypt lit up the lens, covering his eyes for a split second before he moved and the light disappeared.

Frustrated, Bakura looked down at the keyboard and scowled, listening as his father continued to lecture him. "You helped him leave that gang of his, and yet he's still participating in delinquent behaviour. Not only that, but you said he's gone back on the alcohol. Forgive me if I'm not thrilled over my son being friends with a boy who behaves in that manner."

"He's not the asshole you think he is." Bakura growled, lifting his head from his hand while gesturing with it. "He actually listens to me! It's just everything going on. His sister, the conversations with his father, he obviously doesn't know how to deal with it all."

"Bakura…" His father groaned. It was honestly amazing how he still kept his cool even when arguing with his eldest, especially given how stubborn Bakura was in his beliefs. It was one of the things that was similar between him and Mariku. Thinking against arguing further, he conceded and sighed. "I just want you to be careful."

"I will. So, what's this exciting news that you wanted to tell me?" Bakura asked, trying to change the subject from his best friend and back to his father. The mention of it caused the older man's face to light up, his smile returning as he nodded.

"Right. My team and I have discovered new Egyptian ruins buried nearby. We're about to start to excavation, in about a few hours in fact, but this could be a great find for us!" He explained, the enthusiasm infectious as Bakura felt that small smile returning to his lips. While he continued to explain about the ruins, he was quickly joined again by Amane and Ryou, the two having come down after the end of the conversation between Bakura and their father, listening intently with Amane joining in on her father's enthusiasm. It was a much welcomed distraction.

However, the mood quickly turned sour as their father frowned sadly, continuing in a quieter tone. "I'm afraid that our project is behind schedule, however."

"What does that mean?" Amane asked, sharing a worried look with Ryou before slowly wondering. "You're still coming home in a few months, right?"

Their father paused. Bakura could already sense where the conversation was going, bracing himself for the tears and angry words from Amane when he finally confessed. "I don't know. I might be able to still make it by the deadline, but it all depends on how fast we are able to get back on track. Just don't get excited yet."

"But there's still a chance, right?" Ryou piped up, trying to keep the mood optimistic as Amane fell silent. Bakura slowly placed a hand on her back, rubbing it soothingly as he spotted a few pesky tears welling in the corner of her eyes, feeling that pange of sympathy hit him square in the chest. His father nodded with a saddened smile, trying to say something before Amane left them, storming back upstairs and slamming her bedroom door shut. Bakura was silent, staring through the door up at the stairs, and turned to his father.

"I'll go and check on her. Goodnight, father." With that, he left Ryou alone to continue talking with their father and made his way to the staircase, staring up at the darkness as the top landing light was switched off. Slowly, he advanced up the stairs, feeling the wood creak under his weight, and kept going until he reached the top. With only Ryou's voice muttering in the background, he paused in front of the first door that he could pass in the hallway, listening in to see if he could hear anything. When he was greeted with nothing but small sniffles, he knew that Amane was trying to hide her crying from the others and sigh deeply, his hand moving to hover over the door handle. He thought about leaving her to cry things out, but didn't feel right leaving her alone during these trying times, and opened the door slightly.

Staring through the crack, he saw that she hadn't bothered turning on her bedroom light, instead lying on her bed in complete darkness. Any sniffling had stopped when he opened the door further, Amane still keeping her back to him even as Bakura came further into the room, standing in the middle of it awkwardly. It was a fairly large room, and for good reason considering their father was wrapped around his only daughter's finger, especially after nearly losing her in the car accident that took their mother. With one wall covered in a flower wallpaper coloured deep purple, the rest were just painted a lighter lilac colour, covered in numerous posters from the various movies that Amane had gone to see with her friends. Bakura didn't understand the hype behind them. With a shelf above her bed, she had a few figurines amongst other more girly clutter, the figurines having been crafted by Ryou and given to her during her more depressed months. They all resembled her and the family, including one made to resemble their mother. It was beautifully crafted.

After standing there in silence, Amane finally broke the silence and called out behind her. "What'd you want, Bakura?"

"For you to get better taste in decorating first…" He tried to joke, finding that it had fallen somewhat flat as his younger sister continued to lie there. Sighing to himself, he sat down on the free space by her legs, feeling the mattress sink under his heavier weight, and turned to look up at her. She was facing the wall, her gaze unwavering with her hands under the pillow, propping her head up. Not even bothering to look up at him, he took the moment to carry on talking to her, tone calm and soothing as he explained. "I know you're upset over Father not being here."

"Mmm-hmm."

"I was like that when I was younger. Whenever he went to Egypt and left me and Ryou with our mother, I hated him for it." He carried on, leaning forward with his arms resting on his thighs, his legs sat far apart as he continued. "But as I got older, I guess I knew it was his job, and one he enjoyed. So, I wanted to help by looking after the family."

With the confession, he saw out of the corner of his eye that he grabbed Amane's attention, the teenage girl turning her head and watching him with reddened eyes. Having gotten her to at least acknowledge his presence there, he pointed out with a small smile. "I'm still here. You at least have me around to help you, even if Father isn't."

"Yeah…" She agreed, nodding slowly with her saddened fornw disappearing, rather a faint smile pulling her lips upwards and her eyes lighting up with happiness rather than disappointment. The gesture caused Bakura's own frown to vanish slowly, his own conversation with their father disappearing from his thoughts as he instead focused on the upset girl lying in front of him, and all he could do was offer a listening ear to her problems. Her eyes flickered about, Amane clearly deep in thought before she slowly asked. "I overheard your conversation with Father before."

The truth caused the frown to return. Bakura sat there with an annoyed look on his face, watching as his sister sat upright with her thumbs twiddling together nervously, obviously knowing that she was in trouble for eavesdropping in on her older brother's talk with their father. "Before you start complaining, I wasn't eavesdropping. I heard it accidentally."

"While perched on the stairs no doubt." He grumbled.

"Yeah, whatever, you constantly try to spy on my conversations with my friends." She snarked back, before she got back on the topic that they were just discussing before Bakura could angrily defend himself. "I don't get what Father's problem with Mariku is. I think he's funny, and he's pretty nice."

"Nice isn't the word I usually choose to describe Mariku but alright." Bakura retorted, leaning his chin into the palm of his hand while sighing deeply, wondering whether he wanted to use his sister as some sort of free therapist. When he noticed that she wouldn't let the subject go, he confessed quietly. "There's just some things going on with him right now. It's why I was gone just before."

"I was wondering where you disappeared to. What was going on with him?" She pressed on.

Staring up at her, he stayed in that position silently, not replying to her question for a couple of seconds before he revealed. "Drank a bit too much. There's some things going on at school too, so… he might be staying at ours for a while."

"Oh, really?" She asked, sitting more upright at the thought of Mariku staying at their house for a while. Bakura's eyes narrowed, knowing about Amane's thoughts of his best friend, and he scowled when she chided him. "Don't give me that look. Even you have to admit he has that dreamy look about him."

"Yeah, well, he'll be staying in father's room." That got him an annoyed scowl from his sister, a sly smirk on Bakura's face as he raised his hand and ruffled her fluffy hair, earning a disgruntled noise from her and a swift bat to his hand. Her hair was soft, almost like silk, with her long flowing bangs similar to Ryou's rather than Bakura's, whose own hair was stiff and awful to comb through. In some way, he was jealous of the softness and simple pretty aesthetic that she kept her hair in, her hair band left abandoned on the bedside table and allowing the bangs usually held at bay to fall in front of her doe-like eyes. It was eerie how similar she was to Ryou. With her mood lifted, Bakura decided to leave her to get ready for bed, knowing that he himself could use some help desperately after today.

Standing up off her bed, he turned his upper body around and yawned. "Night, Amane."

"Night, Bakura." She responded, moving to get her stuff together to continue working on her art project. Leaving her be, he exited the bedroom with the door closed behind him gently, before standing there in the hallway. He understood her frustration with their father staying for longer in Egypt, yet there was a part of him that was relieved with the older man's absence. It allowed Mariku and Bakura to hang out more freely without the former being judged constantly, and at least Mariku was free to stay with Bakura for longer if the project continued to be delayed. With still some time to continue on with his unfinished school work, Bakura made his way back down the stairs, where Ryou had finished the video call with their father and had started his own work as well, sitting cross legged on the couch with books surrounding him.

Glancing up, he was quick to ask the older sibling about their sister. "Is she alright?"

"Yeah, just a bit emotional over Father's delayed return." Bakura replied, sitting down in his armchair and staring down at his unfinished maths equations. His brain was practically mush, but when he finally finished them, he could relax and enjoy some time with Ryou before retiring for bed.

At least, until the next day brought more problems for him.


	3. Turning Over A New Leaf

Mariku hadn't realised that morning had come already. Sunlight beamed through the small gap between his curtains, the light shining in his eyes as he flinched and slowly woke up, blinking a few times before looking around his room. The pain pounding in his head was unbearable. Fingers interlocked through his strands of hair, he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, trying to bear the pain that felt like someone was taking a hammer to his skull. Multiple times. His stomach was empty, Mariku having vomited up all its contents before falling asleep again, and growled loudly in want of food. Thirsty, tired, in pain, he was having a really shit start to his day, and it only got worse when he noticed the small hole in his door, just below his door knob. Picking up a shirt from the floor, he shoved his arms through the sleeves while approaching the hole in his door, staring down at it with furrowed eyebrows before cursing to himself. "Fuckers breaking my door."

Leaving the buttons of his shirt open, exposing the black tank top underneath, he slowly opened his door and peeked through the crack, wondering if the others had woken up yet. With the hallway empty, he slunk out of his room and straight for the bathroom, closing the door behind him and approaching the sink. The sound of water running as he turned on the taps filled the room, his unbandaged hand cupping under the running stream to fill up. Cold water cooled down his skin on contact, his flushed face welcoming the sensation as he splashed himself in the face numerous times, rubbing his hand into his skin while leaning against the sink bowl. A deep groan emanated within his throat, his headache continuing to rage in his temples before he opened the medicine cabinet hanging in front of him. The whole mess had been cleaned up while he slept, the painkillers nowhere to be seen even when he checked the back where most of the bottles got lost.

"God, where the fuck are they?" He grumbled. Plucking his bottle of medication from its usual spot, he rotated it in his hand while reading the label. The words had been smudged off, showing just how often he handled the bottle to the point where he could barely read out his name in the small print. Unscrewing the cap off, he tipped out two of the small pills from the bottle before returning it back to the cabinet, staring down at the pills sitting in the palm of his hand. With a deep sigh, he gulped them down before taking a mouthful of water from the tap, washing down the disgusting tasting medicine with a shudder.

His reflection in the closed cabinet mirror stunned him momentarily. Even after the long sleep he had last night, he still looked exhausted with dark bags sitting under his glazed eyes, his bangs hanging over his forehead dripping with water that he splashed on his face, and the rest of his wildly spread hair didn't have that usual shine in the platinum blonde strands. Rather it was dull and lifeless. Huffing quietly, he turned away from his reflection and exited the bathroom, starting to button up his school shirt while passing the other bedrooms to the top of the staircase, peeking in Malik's to see if the other twin had awoken yet.

Malik's room was considerably bigger than Mariku's box room, with a bed shoved in the corner draped in dark purple covers and the same colour curtains pulled from in front of the window, allowing the sunlight from outside pour into the room and light it up considerably. The walls were a simple off-white colour, clean without any of the sketches or posters that Mariku hung up in his own room. It was almost staggering how different their tastes were. Passing by, the smell of breakfast cooking suddenly hit him, hunger yet nausea conflicting in his body as his mind pushed him to follow after the sudden scent. The others were likely awake already, the sound of hushed conversations reaching Mariku's ears while he descended down the stairs, the blonde teen able to figure out Ishizu's voice from the others and prepared himself for the lecture that would likely happen as soon as he stepped into the kitchen.

Hovering around the doorframe, he peered into the kitchen and immediately spotted Malik and Ishizu sitting around the family dinner table while Rishid continued to plate up breakfast. With his hand pressed into his stomach in a desperate attempt to stop the rumbling, he watched Ishizu take a small sip from her mug, the steam from her coffee floating upwards before disappearing entirely. His attempts to stay hidden were fruitless, however, as his older sister placed the mug on the table, hands still wrapped around it, and called out to him. "I know you're there, Mariku."

"It ain't hard to find him with that hair." Malik muttered into his breakfast, shovelling it into his mouth and feigning innocence over the insult when the older twin entered the room, glaring heavily at him. Ishizu didn't meet Mariku's gaze, staring down at her coffee with a hardened expression while Rishid just carried on with the cooking, quickly shooting Mariku and stern look as he placed down a plate in front of the empty chair. That was a silent order to sit down, Mariku could tell, and he could do nothing but sit in the empty space and stare down at the steaming breakfast in front of him.

It wasn't the breakfast he was used to back in Egypt. Fava beans mashed up into fuul with pita bread, that was what he was served every morning when he woke up, but Rishid had taken to cooking more traditional Japanese food ever since they first came to the country. Some kind of soup and a bowl of rice was what stared back at him, but he said nothing as he proceeded to eat it, ignoring the fact that all conversation within the family had ceased as soon as his presence was known. Ishizu remained cool, continuing to sip from her coffee while Malik finished up his breakfast, eating the last of the soup before standing up and walking over to the sink, washing his dishes while Rishid finished up and finally sat down at the other end of the small table, opposite Ishizu and to Mariku's right. The teen ignored him as well, stirring the soup around with his spoon while leaning into the palm of his bandaged hand. The silence was awkward, and yet Rishid and Ishizu looked like they weren't slowly driving themselves in madness from panic like Mariku was, his appetite fading away with the anxiety taking hold of him.

Eventually, Rishid broke the silence as he finished his mouthful of rice, staring at Mariku's bandaged hand. "I heard you got that from breaking a school window, Mariku."

"Hmmm." Mariku replied, his gaze unmoving from the swirl of colours in his miso soup.

"Let me see it." Rishid offered, holding out his hand for Mariku's and waited patiently while the latter stared at it. He thought about just refusing and trying to explain that it was all taken care of, but decided against it given that Rishid was making sure that he as alright, lifting his head off his hand and holding it out for his older brother to examine. The bandages were bloodied, Mariku having bled more than he thought possible, and the rubbing sensation against his sore flesh caused him to flinch slightly, his eye twitching before he got the tic under control.

Rishid's handling was gentle, caring even, and he took great care in making sure that he didn't hurt Mariku as he examined the small yet deep cuts in his skin, rotating the hand slightly to look at the bruised knuckles that made contact with the glass. Letting Mariku take his hand back, he stood and went to a cabinet under the sink, pulling out the first aid box that they kept in there and rummaging through for something. Finally, he grabbed a clean roll of bandages and returned to his seat, not even having to gesture for Mariku to give him back the injured hand. The new bandages were soft, clean, unlike the coarse and old material that had been sitting under Mariku's bed for God knows how long, and when the hand was properly bandaged, the teen examined the work, listening as his older brother explained. "Keep it covered until the cuts heal. You're lucky it doesn't need stitches."

"Malik told us about the incident with your teacher." Ishizu revealed, causing Mariku to glare heavily at Malik as the latter sat back down in his seat, remaining quiet while the adults addressed the situation at hand. Placing her half empty mug on the table again, she finally met Mariku's gaze, narrowed blue eyes unmoving when she continued. "That and the state he found you in when he got home. It was a good thing Bakura was on hand, or you could have been in serious trouble."

"Yeah, nothing says 'what a great friend' like putting a hole in my door." Mariku shot back sarcastically, shoving a spoonful of rice into his mouth and chewing slowly. It might have just been his taste, but the rice tasted awfully bland, the teen quickly swallowing it with a scowl on his face.

"You locked it from the inside. I was banging on it for hours until Bakura showed up!" Malik snapped, angered by his brother's lack of gratefulness. Mariku got that, but still shrugged in response, while Ishizu kept the conversation calm as she spoke up again.

"Regardless of the door, we've been talking, Mariku. About what we're gonna do with your behaviour. The principle has scheduled a meeting this Friday about whether he wants you to remain in this school or not, and I've agreed that you will be attending it." That caused Mariku to huffed quietly, unwilling to spend a minute in the stuffy and claustrophobic office with the man that clearly hated him. Ishizu heard that small sound, but chose to ignore it as she continued, shifting her gaze over to Rishid who had been watching the conversation silently. "Rishid and I were told about Bakura's plan, and after some talking, we've agreed that it may be best if you lived with him for a while. For whatever reason, it seems that he's the only one you actually get along with anymore."

"Wow, lemme at least pack my stuff before you kick me out." Mariku snapped, feeling the anger bubbling inside him again with his head feeling like it was caught in a vice. The pressure built up, like someone turning the vice so that it tightened more and more. It was a warning. He knew that if he didn't leave the conversation soon, he would end up exploding and doing something he would regret.

Ishizu's calm exterior cracked slightly, her small frown deepening as she rejected his accusations. "That's not what it's like at all, Mariku. We're doing this because we care about you and right now, your behaviour is leading you down a dark path. Once your school life has gotten better, we can start looking at having you live back here."

Any hunger that pained him before had disappeared. Staring back down at his soup, he placed his spoon in the bowl and left it alone, watching the fluid still while he listened to the deafening silence around him. Ishizu was being calm and to the point, yet what he wanted was someone to argue with him, to scream and shout so that he could let out the pent up anger without feeling like he was in the wrong. Even the plan made sense, especially with him and his older sister no longer seeing eye to eye, and any time she tried to be an authoritative figure in his life she was met with scorn and aggression. He didn't want to be expelled, he didn't want to be kicked out of the family. In all honesty, he was terrified of being left on his own, and that thought made him want to lash out just so he could feel anything else besides that fear. He hated it. From his right, he heard Rishid speak up. "I will bring your stuff to Bakura's house tonight."

During all of this conversation, Malik had been silent. Sitting there, he watched as his twin was being told about the plan, those familiar eyes so like his own staring with sympathy deep within them. Mariku tried his best to ignore the stares, feeling that bitterness welling up deep inside him at the thought of him being sent away, while his perfect brother didn't have to deal with anything wrong in his life. No medication, no weird stares and people talking about him behind his back, thinking that he couldn't hear them, and no confusion over his feelings. Ishizu and Rishid kept talking to him, but the voices sounded like they were getting further and further away, almost muffled to the point where Mariku couldn't make out what they were saying despite them being right beside him. The overwhelming need to vomit nearly pushed him too far, the teen muttering something in response before excusing himself from the table, leaving the room as quickly as possible.

Malik followed after him as Mariku shoved his shoes on and plucked his jacket left on the stair bannister, shoving his arms through the sleeves while picking up his school bag and then storming out of the house. His brother tried to call him back, stumbling around when he tried to shove his shoes on and get all his stuff needed for school, but by then Mariku was already down the street and turning onto the main road. It was still early out, the streets practically abandoned as those kept to their homes, getting ready for the long day of work or school ahead of them. Despite the early time he had left the house, the sun was already out, shining from just behind the buildings with the night coldness seeping away, the bright rays warming up the ground with birds chirping their songs loudly in the distance. That swirling anxiety gripping his stomach was pushed away, Mariku trying to hide his true feelings under that normal scowl that he always wore. It wasn't the time to dwell on anything, it would make things more difficult to handle and he knew that he couldn't burst in school like he did yesterday.

Whether he wanted to use it or not, he had one last chance to avoid being kicked out.

It took all of his strength not to sock the person whose hand appeared on his shoulder, tensing up under the touch and spinning around on his heel, flashing narrowed and hateful eyes until he realised it was Malik. Face flushed from running after him, he stood there breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath while Mariku paused in his walking, watching in silence until the shorter twin blurted out. "Are you going to school?"

"Nowhere else I can be." He retorted, rubbing the back of his neck as he remembered Rishid's words. Breathe. Inhaling deeply, he let it all out through his nose, closing his eyes briefly before confessing. "I'm sorry. For yesterday, I know you and Bakura were just trying to help."

"You're my brother. Even if you don't want me to, I'm still gonna look out for you." Malik replied, his face bright with happiness that it was almost too disgustingly sweet. It did bring a rare smile to Mariku's face however.

The two started walking together. Malik kept quiet, and when he did speak it was in short to the point sentences, though he tended to go off on a tangent whenever the Friendship Gang were brought up in conversation. Out of the two, he could talk enough for the both of them, but Mariku tried his best to listen as his brain was stuffed full of information about the various dynamics and things going on in the group. There was something about Yuugi having a crush, and then Jonouchi and his family, something about his father, but it was all a huge mess inside his mind that he couldn't make heads or tails out of it. The short conversation between Honda and Jonouchi in maths yesterday made more sense, however, as he recalled eavesdropping about the blonde's sister living in America, and with Malik continuing to chat down his ear, he started to zone out more and more.

Given that it was still too early to go to school, and Mariku didn't want to spend more time there than he absolutely had to, the two found themselves walking around in town, passing by the game store that Yuugi's grandfather ran. Malik paused, almost abandoned by the unaware Mariku before he cleared his throat. Stopping mid step, he turned his head around to his younger twin, noticing him standing by the door with his hand on the handle. "We got some time to waste. Come on, it'll be fun."

Fun was the last word Mariku would use to describe any time spent with the pipsqueak. When he tried to come up with an excuse to avoid going in, he was quietened by Malik frowning and going in anyway, forcing him to follow after his brother with an annoyed groan. The bell above the opened door rang, alerting the residents inside that someone had entered. Almost out of thin air, an old looking and short man appeared from behind the counter, nearly scaring the shit out of Mariku as he stood there. After his final growth spurt of his teen years, he towered over many of the students that attended to his school and even over his own family, only being dwarfed by Rishid. Standing up tall in front of the old man, he stared down at the greyed hairs sticking up in a hairstyle similar to Yuugi's, though his wrinkled skin was paler compared to the faint tan sported by his young grandsons.

As soon as those purple eyes fell on Mariku, the old man was quick to judge him for something he hadn't yet done, wary of the delinquent as he turned to address the shorter twin. "Hello there, Malik. Bit early today, aren't we?"

"Yeah, just on our way to school before we decided to stop here and meet up with Atem and Yuugi. They up yet, by any chance?" Malik wondered, looking past Solomon at the staircase leading up to the apartment built above the game shop. Mariku kept the scowl on his face, having noticed the looks he was receiving from the store owner while he looked around the various things on sale. It was all different RPG games and posters, the various figurines decorating the numerous shelves that were propped up along the walls of the stores, somewhat similar to the figurines that Ryou enjoyed collecting and making.

Picking one of the figurines up from the stand on top of the glass case, he examined the fine detail and care given towards making the small object, intrigued with the paintwork on the figurine before it was suddenly taken from him, eyes blinking when he noticed that Solomon had taken it and returned the figurine back to its proper place on the stand. "I would appreciate it if you didn't touch merchandise you don't intend to buy."

"Relax, old man, I weren't gonna steal that shit anyway." A sharp dig to his ribs brought Mariku's attention to Malik standing beside him, the latter shooting him a serious glare that made him rub the back of his neck and quickly apologise for his rude behaviour. "Sorry. Didn't mean it like that."

"I thought it would be a long time before I heard you apologise." Solomon replied, leaving the figurines alone as he nodded softly. "I accept your apologies. Now, why are you here with Malik? I haven't seen you in this store since you came in with those friends of yours and stole money out of the register."

The mention of his past actions brought nothing but shame and guilt. Past Mariku really was an asshole, and there wasn't much he could do to change it except apologise. Solomon was a kind old man, wise enough to know when someone was trying to change and wouldn't beat them down about their past, but Mariku highly doubted everyone else would be quite as forgiving towards him. With his hand still on his neck, he finally confessed to Solomon. "I'm trying to stay out of trouble. Go to school. Things like that so I don't get expelled."

"I see. Well, I certainly hope you continue like this. It's a much welcomed change of pace compared to who you used to be." Solomon replied with a soft smile. Mariku nodded, laughing nervously when he noticed Yuugi appearing out of nowhere, standing on the bottom of the staircase fully dressed in his school uniform.

It wasn't even the pipsqueak that worried him with judging looks and harsh words, it was the taller boy following after him that Mariku worried about. His hairstyle was as ridiculous as Yuugi's, with the additional yellow stripes running up each point of his haircut and his bangs pushed out of the way of his narrower purple eyes. His own uniform was worn differently, with some of his shirt popping out from his pants and his collar opened up wider, showing off the tanned skin of his neck. Malik greeted his friends, happily chatting away with Yuugi, and yet Atem just stood beside his sibling, staring straight at Mariku while the latter didn't know what to do. He could have left, made up some excuse about wanting to get to school on time, but before he could even think of how to say it without it seeming like he was running away, the serious looking Motou piped up. "What're you doing here, Mariku?"

"Well, it ain't to buy some figurines." He shot back, glancing over to Malik and Yuugi as the two watched nervously. He shared the feeling, and when he saw that his playful jab didn't do anything to fix Atem's mood he conceded. "I ain't here to cause trouble. Just stopped on my way to school."

"Atem…" Yuugi started, though he was ignored by Atem as he crossed his arms. He obviously didn't believe Mariku, and in all honesty, he didn't blame him, especially after all the shit that he did in his past to the game shop that Yuugi's grandfather cared about. Including stealing money from the cash register.

"You could have kept walking." Atem pointed out with a shrug of his shoulders. Mariku couldn't complain, he knew that he'd meet people he wronged who wanted nothing to do with him, but damn did it hurt to be casted out.

His fingers dug into the flesh of the back of his neck, his hand slowly slipping around until his palm pressed into the crevice between his neck and shoulder. He hid away the anxiety with a quick cough and a deep frown, trying to keep his cool as he mumbled. "I get that you're angry-"

"I'm beyond angry." Atem interrupted. His voice didn't even raise, the teen berating him keeping that anger from exploding and rather using it in a tranquil fury situation, continuing to drag Mariku as he continued with a gesture of his hand. "You stole money from my grandfather, you vandalised the walls, you bullied Yuugi to the point where he didn't even want to be in the same school as you, you _assaulted Jonouchi._ "

"I know, _I know._ But…" Mariku paused, unsure what kind of reaction he would get but pressed on regardless. "I'm sorry. I really am. I know all the shit I've done, it'll be hard for anyone to forgive me, but I'm trying to change."

"It's true." Malik interjected, grabbing everyone's attention as he continued. "Mariku's trying to get his life back together."

"If you're willing to back your brother up, then I could maybe give him another chance." Yuugi confessed. Mariku was stunned, having not expected Yuugi to even give him the time of day after all the things he did, and yet the pipsqueak did more than that. He gave Mariku another chance. However, Atem remained unconvinced, even with Malik's good word, and turned his attention back to Mariku with a scowl.

"I'll start believing that when I see it. Until then, I don't want you anywhere near here." It was the best he would get. Nodding, he turned on his heel and left the game shop, trying to not slam the door in frustration as he kept walking on the way to school. It was what would happen, he repeated over and over in his head, trying to calm himself down by reminding himself that he should keep trying, even if some people wouldn't accept his apologies at face. At the very least, Yuugi seemed like he was willing to give his former bully another chance. Mariku didn't know if he was just too trusting or willing to see the good in everyone, regardless of how small it was, but he had that small ray of hope. He didn't need the forgiveness of the whole Friendship Gang. In fact, he was unsure if he even wanted it. Jonouchi and Honda were assholes, Anzu was a preachy cheerleader who always got on his nerve, and Atem. Just Atem.

Whatever. Shoving his hand in his pocket, Mariku rummaged around the contents for a moment before pulling his hand out, confused as to where his phone was. Checking the other pocket, he had no luck in finding it and patted down the pockets in his pants. Not there. Suddenly, he remembered what happened yesterday, him launching his phone at the wall with all his might, and likely breaking it in the process. Shit. Groaning under his breath, he rubbed his face up and down with his hands, wondering how the day could start off any worse. Almost like fate wanted to fuck him around, he spotted none other than Anzu walking down the road, making her way to the game shop to walk to school with Yuugi and the others. With only a few people starting to leave their homes to go to work or school, there was nowhere for him to blend in, making him a sitting duck when Anzu finally spotted him standing in the middle of the pavement.

Immediately, she started to advance on him, causing the taller student to curse to himself. "Oh, for fucks sake."

"What are you doing here? It's a bit early to start tormenting this part of the city, don't you think?" She accused, standing with a hand on her hip and glaring heavily at him. She couldn't be more obvious that she hated him if she actually had a sign saying it.

"Relax, cheerleader, I'm just on my way to school." Mariku growled, staring down at her with him already towering over the younger girl. Even with his height as an advantage, Anzu didn't back down and stood straight, listening as he added with a grumble. "I'm not here to start shit, okay? I just wanna be left alone."

"If you're just going to school then why have you come this way? It's practically the long route from where you live." She asked.

"Because Malik was with me, and then ditched me for your lil' pal Yuugi."

That caused her to scoff in frustration, her eyes narrowing as she snapped at him. "Why can't you just leave Yuugi alone? He hasn't done anything to you! All you've done is made his, and his grandfather's, lives miserable!"

"Cool, thanks for the reminder. I know what I've done, but I'm trying to move on from that, and I apologized if it pleases you to know." His hold on his anger was slipping. Anzu seemed skeptical about his confession, raising an eyebrow before shaking her head with another scoff, causing his hands to ball up into fists inside his pockets. He bit down on his tongue, feeling that sharp prick of pain and a faint taste of copper from biting down too hard, though he fought back the urge to spit it out while Anzu continued to lecture him.

"I'm sure your apology fixed everything. Did you seriously think that just saying sorry would take back everything you done? Everything you put my friends through?" She carried on, unwilling to let Mariku get a word in on her angered rant. "Did you even stop to think what it was like for us when you beat up Jonouchi so bad that he had to go to hospital?"

"I didn't mean to go that fa-"

"Or when Atem had to work overtime to pay the bills when _you_ stole money from his grandfather's shop?!"

"I'm really sorr-"

"Or when Yuugi actually cried when he told me about all the horrible things you did to him?!" Anzu kept interrupting him, letting him rip with all his past guilt and shame bubbling up to the surface. Half of the things he couldn't even remember properly, including how badly he bullied Yuugi, and even the fight with Jonouchi was over something that Mariku couldn't remember properly. The reason was lost in the back of his mind, and he just stood there stunned while Anzu finished her rant, glaring at him angrily as she finished with a harsh warning. "Just stay the hell away from my friends, and keep your apologies. We don't wanna know."

With that, she stormed past him, her shoulder bumping into his arm and causing him to move with the force slightly, though he was able to properly correct himself immediately. Watching her walk down to where the game shop was, he stood there with his hands continuing to ball up into fists, the palm of his hands stinging with his nails digging into his skin hard enough that he was sure he would draw blood. His heart pounded in his chest, the beats loud in his ears as he tried to calm himself down enough to not blow up the minute he stepped into school. He didn't want to give anyone the ammunition to expel him. What school would want him after that?

So, he turned and kept walking up the street, leaving Malik behind to get to school with his friends instead. Pulling out a crumpled up piece of paper that he kept in his jacket pocket, he uncrumpled it and stared at what was his timetable for his lessons, trying to figure out where he was first and if it was one of those days he wished he could just skip. Besides boring ass Japanese and PE, he spotted an Art lesson after lunch time. At least there was something to look forward to in the day. Crumpling the timetable back up, he shoved the ball of paper back into his pocket and carried on walking in silence, wishing he still had his phone so that he could listen to some of his music to block out the silence. Left with just his thoughts and the background noise of the city moving all around him, he quickly jogged across the road, avoiding a car that was speeding down the road, almost clipping the teen before he managed to get to the other side. Glaring at the honking vehicle as it drove off, he gave it the two fingers before carrying on his way.

Eventually, he spotted the familiar school building in the distance, with crowds of students pouring through the gates. So many faces. It was almost impossible to see if Bakura or his siblings were amongst those going into school, and Mariku knew he would have to deal with it until finding his best friend. Fighting back the urge to turn around and go back home, he kept walking down the path towards the gate. His presence certainly didn't go unnoticed, a few students whispering among their groups as he passed them by. He tried to ignore them. Eventually, they started to wear on his patience, and he had to fight with himself to stop his fists from punching someone out, his hands flexing in his pockets as he reached the front door leading into school. Suddenly, he heard a high pitched voice call out behind him. "Mariku, wait up!"

He recognised that voice. Stopping in his tracks, he turned around to see Amane running up to catch him, her wild hair kept at bay by her different coloured hairband. Did she have one for each day of the week? Her school bag bounced around with each step she took, and when she stopped in front of Mariku, she panted softly with her pale face deepening in a bright shade of red. After a few moments of catching her breath back, she happily greeted him with a smile. "I didn't know you'd be in today."

"Yeah, being star pupil and all that." He joked. Amane giggled at that, brushing a stray hair strand that was dangling in front of her eyes to behind her ear.

"Oh!" She suddenly exclaimed, moving her bag to in front of her and digging a hand inside it, rooting around the various things that she kept in it while Mariku watched in confusion, wondering how she managed to fit half the things she kept in that bag of hers, before noticing a phone similar to his own in her appearing hand. It looked like it hadn't seen the light of day in months, with a small chip in the corner glass screen and the cover a deep shade of violet, yet he took it when she offered it to him. "It's my old one. Bakura told me that you accidentally broke yours… by throwing it against the wall."

A short cough followed by Mariku's blank expression, and Amane took the hint to carry on with the conversation. "Anyway, I thought that, considering I'm not using that, you can have it. Just, please don't break it."

"Thanks, Amane. I appreciate it." He replied gratefully, shoving the old phone in his pocket before moving to go into the building, only to stop when he felt Amane grab hold of his bandaged hand.

Looking back at her, he listened as she asked him in concern."Mariku, what happened to your hand?"

"Just an accident." He brushed off, managing to free his hand from the teenage girl's grip and returning it to his pocket, out of sight. His lack of concern caused her to sulk, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder, though she was quick to smile when he ruffled the top of her head affectionately. Fixing her head band, she turned her head when she heard her classmates call over to her, wanting the teenager to come and join them rather than walk around with Mariku. When she looked back at him, he flashed her a forced smile and sent her on her way. "Go on. I best get to class anyway."

"Okay, Bakura should be coming in soon." She revealed, waving goodbye as she went back to her group of friends. Laughter and chattering could be heard from them, Mariku watching with his forced smile fading away at the sight of Amane enjoying talking to her friends. His thoughts went back to the ranting he got from Anzu before, and Atem's rejection of his apologies back at the game shop, the towering student entering the school on his own while the ball of anxiety in his stomach worsened. The teachers standing around on break before the school day started stared at him, some unsure whether it was Mariku or just another similar student walking past, and rather than laughing or making offensive comments about the looks on their faces, he quickened his pace, trying to get out of their sights.

The classroom was the one place he wanted to be. Slinking in, he was quick to take his spot at the back of the room near the window, shoving his school bag underneath while taking out the phone that Amane gave him. It seemed to have been wiped clean before being handed over to him, the background clear and nothing left in the folders, though he couldn't stop beating himself up for breaking his old one. It had all his photos on it, including the one with him and Bakura. He'd have to go and get it fixed again, though it would take time and money that he didn't have, and Ishizu wouldn't be willing to fork out more money to fix the phone for the billionth time. For now, he would have to deal with this. Soon enough, more students started pouring into the classroom, sitting down at desks with small groups of friends congregating around different tables, including the Friendship Gang coming in. Ignoring them, Mariku leaned into his hand and stared out of his window, looking up at the branches of the tree growing just outside of the classroom, a nest of birds visible from where he was sitting.

The adults, with plumage of beautiful oranges, browns and pale blues, sat on the branches nearby, chirping their songs while the nest remained undisturbed. Watching as the birds hopped around in their tree, he didn't notice someone approaching his desk until they practically sat on it, alerting him finally as he snapped his head in their direction with a deep scowl. However, upon seeing that it was only Bakura, he calmed down and mumbled. "Hey."

"I see you got Amane's old phone." He pointed out, earning a grunt as the only reply from Mariku. The neutral expression he usually wore faded into slight worry, Bakura staring down at his friend before asking quietly. "Hey, what's up?"

"It's nothing…" His attempt to divert the conversation didn't work with his face still looking crestfallen, and it was no surprise that Bakura didn't buy it for a second. Lifting the phone up, he explained with an embarrassed look on his face. "It's stupid. I'm just a bit pissed off that I broke my phone. It… had the picture of us two at Ryou's birthday on it."

Cheeks threatening to turn tomato red, he kept silent with the truth causing Bakura to raise both his eyebrows in surprise, likely not knowing how much that simple photo meant to the tanned student. The conversation died there between them, the air heavy with the talking of the other students in their class, not aware of the awkwardness that was plaguing Mariku as he just sat there silently, fingers tapping against the wood of his desk with his new phone left beside it. Suddenly, the phone disappeared from beside him, Mariku glancing up in confusion as Bakura took it, fingers tapping away on the screen before he silently moved to his side. Unable to stop the stunned reaction from showing on his face, he felt his heart hammering more with how close Bakura's face was to his, staring up at the camera as he realised his friend was taking another picture of them. The camera flashed, and as soon as he was pressed up against Mariku, Bakura was gone again to sitting on the desk, continuing to fiddle away on the phone.

Hiding his blushing face away from the others' views, he didn't move until Bakura passed back the phone. "Here."

When he removed his hands, he noticed the phone being held out in front of him. Taking it, he stared down at it while Bakura stood up from his desk, muttering to Mariku before making his way over to his own desk. "Class is almost starting. I'll see you in PE."

And then he was gone from Mariku's side. Distracted with the phone in his hands to say goodbye, he stared at the background that Bakura had put up with his face feeling like it was on fire, his bandaged hand leaning into the front of his face below his nose. Bakura had put the photo they just took as his new background. While Mariku looked like he was ready to faint, his usually narrow and half lidded eyes widened considerably and his eyebrows raised in stunned surprise, Bakura had that same small smile on his face. He looked really attractive, and Mariku couldn't help but stare at the photo with his face heating up, his tanned skin turning red, and he snuck a peek over to where Bakura was sitting. The teacher had started to lesson, his teaching falling on deaf ears before Mariku managed to snap out of his thoughts, shoving the phone in his pocket and starting to pay attention to what was being talked about in the class.

Time dragged along. Even with paying attention and doing everything he should do during the lesson, Mariku found that any new information was having trouble staying in his brain, and he already broke two pencils in frustration. After nearly snapping the third one, he was unable to scrounge one off of Bakura and had to deal with a broken in half one, using the front piece to write down notes, trying to keep his handwriting from falling into the illegible scribbles that he was prone to doing. A few students noticed the times when he broke his pencil, turning around to look at him only for him to growl deeply, flashing them death glares that made them turn back as quickly as possible, leaving the troubled student to continue trying to learn all the information thrown at him. The teacher, a young looking woman dressed in clean, ironed blouse and skirt, stood at the front with things written on the blackboard. She seemed new, showing none of the fear and wariness when she spotted Mariku staring at her in an unblinking stare, even offering him another pencil when she noticed that he had broken his own.

She was a pleasant change compared to the old woman who used to teach him.

The school bell signalled the end of the lesson, the students rushing out as quickly as they could, with some ready to start their PE lesson next. Nearly the last one to leave the classroom, Mariku packed away his things into his school bag, knowing that Bakura would get annoyed if he took his time. His thoughts were torn between taking forever and just getting the lesson over with, hating PE and his teacher with a passion. Yet again, he could say the same thing for about any teacher that had the displeasure of teaching him, except the new teacher that suddenly appeared in front of his desk, her voice soft and pleasant as she spoke up. "I haven't seen you in my class before. You must be Mariku?"

"Yep. I take it you're new."

"Is it that obvious?" She laughed nervously, brushing a dark strand of hair that had fallen out of her tight, military style bun sitting at the top of her head.

Shoving his notebook in, he closed his school bag up and paused, sitting there while staring up at the new teacher with an unwavering gaze. "You ain't trying to get me to leave quickly or giving me another lecture over my behaviour, so yeah, it is to me."

"I don't mean to be intrusive, but it's just that I heard things about you from the other teachers." Gossip. Mariku would say that he didn't think the teachers would stoop to that level, but then he'd be lying. "And I have to say, you've been very well behaved in my class today. I was very nervous when I saw you sitting there when I came in… but I guess the other teachers may have it wrong."

"No, I was an asshole." Mariku interjected, shrugging his shoulders while finally standing up from his desk, scraping his chair across the floor with an ear splitting screech following it. The teacher backed up as he moved around, going to leave the classroom as he paused, adding in a quieter tone. "Things've happened, and I'm trying to better myself. Tell the other teachers that next time they try and say shit."

With that said, he brushed past her and went to leave the classroom, pausing when he heard her call out to him. "I'm Mrs Yamamoto, by the way."

He didn't reply. Leaving the classroom finally, he found Bakura leaning against the wall opposite the classroom door, staring down at something on his phone before Mariku cleared his throat, causing his friend to look up and put his phone away. Pushing himself off the wall, he approached Mariku with a hand in his pocket and a deep frown on his face. "Took your time. Come on, I don't wanna be late."

"You never wanna be late." Mariku joked, though followed after Bakura regardless. The hallways were packed with students, all of them trying to get to their next lessons, and the sound of laughter and shouting loud in Mariku's ears as he fought down the urge to start shoving people out of the way. Soon enough though, people noticed his presence and started moving away, showing a clear path through them that he took advantage of quickly, though he could have done without the constant stares and muttering behind his back. With Bakura by his side, he did his best to keep his cool and move on, finding him outside the building soon enough.

The cold breeze of night had disappeared entirely, replaced with the warm sun rays touching Mariku's exposed skin. Slipping his arms out of his jacket and tying the sleeves around his waist, he enjoyed the warm weather while they made their way to the changing rooms near the gym. Other students had gotten there before them, Jonouchi and Honda talking to each other outside the doors, both of them already in their PE uniform. Mariku tried to ignore them, following Bakura as the two of them tried to go into the changing room to change for their lesson, only for Jonouchi's crass voice to shout after Mariku. "Hey!"

Against his better judgement, Mariku stopped before the door, staring at it as Bakura paused in front of him, the both of them listening while Jonouchi snapped angrily, approaching behind Mariku before the latter turned around to face him. "I heard that you were sniffing around Yugi's place this morning! You better not have been causing problems there!"

"I weren't starting shit. Why don't you stay outta stuff that don't concern you?" Mariku shot back, letting a sly smirk come up when he saw Jonouchi's eyebrow twitch in rage. The blonde reduced the space between them, grabbing hold of the front of Mariku's shirt in both of his fists and wrenched him forward. The urge to fight back was almost overwhelming, Mariku glaring heavily at Jonouchi while trying his hardest not to headbutt him in the face, though he felt his temper wearing thin with Jonouchi continuing his tough guy routine.

"Yug's my pal, and I ain't gonna let a psycho like you harass him!" That was it. Mariku was ready to bite his fucking nose off before Bakura stepped in, pulling him free from Jonouchi's grip and letting him stumble behind him, squaring off against the slightly taller student.

"Enough." He warned, keeping his voice level yet cold enough that Mariku realised how pissed off he was. "Mariku's put that behind him. I suggest you do the same."

"I ain't gonna forgive him for what he did!" Jonouchi refused, letting his hands fall back to his side now that Bakura had put himself between him and Mariku. The latter felt that familiar feeling coursing through his veins, the urge to push past Bakura and let his instincts do the rest forcing him to ball his hands up into fists to try and calm himself down. Suddenly, they heard voices from behind them.

"Jonouchi? What's going on?" Turning around, he noticed Yuugi standing in the doorway with surprise clear in those big eyes of his. Without showing any fear that he used to, the short statured student moved past Mariku and paused by Bakura's side, staring up at Jonouchi as his friend backed off, rubbing the crook of his neck bashfully.

"Nothing, Yug. Just making sure Mariku knows to leave ya alone, that's all."

"Is this about this morning?" Yuugi questioned, looking at all the people around as they didn't give him a straight answer. Bakura stayed out of it, staring straight at Jonouchi with narrowed eyes, not letting up even when Yuugi sighed and started to explain. "Mariku said he's trying to change. I'm giving him a chance."

The way he stuck up for Mariku brought a genuine smile to his face. Especially after the rejection from the others in the Friendship Gang, it was great knowing that there was at least someone in the school who was willing to accept his apologies and give him a chance to change, though his smile disappeared instantly when Jonouchi and Honda appeared doubtful, the latter of the duo voicing his concerns. "I don't know, Yuugi. He ain't the changing type."

"Your confidence in me is heartwarming." Mariku shot back, earning heated looks from Honda and Jonouchi before he decided to leave them to it, turning around and going into the changing rooms while snapping. "I don't give a shit what you think. Do whatever you want."

The conversation was left there, the others likely talking about him behind his back and yet Mariku couldn't bring himself to care. He apologised, he was trying to change, and that was the end of it. Maybe one day, those that doubted him would eat their own words, but for now he pushed the hurt sensation in his chest and went to change for the lesson. Tossing his bag on the bench, he untied his jacket and left it hanging on a free hook in front of him, starting to unbutton his school shirt when Bakura appeared beside him, hanging his stuff on the hook next to Mariku's before changing out of his school uniform. The silence between them was awkward again, neither of them willing to bring up the confrontation that just happened and instead began putting on their PE uniform. Glancing beside him, his heart started beating faster when he noticed that Bakura had shedded his shirt completely, leaving it folded on the bench while rummaging through his bag for his PE shirt.

Compared to Mariku's muscular body, Bakura was more lean, his arms not as thick as Mariku's and yet the muscle underneath his pasty skin was still visible. He obviously took great care of himself. Quickly, Mariku looked away again and focused on pulling his shirt over his stiff hair, managing to pull his head through the small hole and flattening the wrinkled shirt with his hands, making himself more presentable when Bakura finally spoke up. "Don't pay attention to Jonouchi."

"I wasn't until you brought him up."

"Look, I'm serious. I saw how you were ready to start a fight." Mariku paused in getting changed, having sat down to put his sneakers on when Bakura confessed that, staring up at the white haired boy as he carried on getting changed, having put his shirt on and started tying up his shoes. "If you start fights now, that's it. The school will expel you."

"I know. He just said some shit and I _really_ wanted to punch his lights out." Mariku confessed, groaning in frustration as he leaned forward, burying his face into his hands while grumbling into them. "I'm trying so hard to get better and yet everyone wants to push me every chance they get."

"Think about it this way, at least Yuugi is giving you a chance. Out of them all, he had the most reason to hate you, and yet he doesn't." Bakura pointed out. That was true, and with that in mind, Mariku lifted his face out of his hands with the frustration dying away somewhat, sitting there as Bakura continued to cheer him up. "If you can prove to Yuugi that you wanna make up for the things you did, maybe the others will follow suit?"

"Maybe." He hummed in response, finishing up with tying his shoelaces before standing up, completely changed and ready to start the lesson. Bakura followed suit, tying up his shoelaces and lifting his foot off the bench, both of them ready to go outside and join the other students for the lesson. Walking towards the door, he muttered to the shorter boy beside him. "Come on, let's get this over with."

It may had been the fact that he was never in a PE lesson that surprised the other students present, and the teacher in fact, who just addressed Mariku and then went on to explain what they would be doing that day. Mariku kept to himself at the back of the group, ignoring the fact that Jonouchi and Honda kept looking over in his direction and muttering to each other, though he was surprised that the blonde hothead was able to be quiet about anything. The teacher, Mr Tanaka, was a tall muscled man who could rival Rishid in sheer height alone, towering over pretty much all of the other students, including Mariku himself, though that didn't stop the student from being disrespectful to him in the past. Tanaka didn't take his past to heart, like water off a duck's back, and didn't seem to want to avoid addressing Mariku and even keeping eye contact with him, rather treating him like any other student that was in his group. It was a nice change.

The game was tennis, the group being split up into pairs with Mariku hoping that he was put with Bakura. However, the teacher seemed to have had some untold grudge against him when he pointed at Mariku, shifting the gesture into a thumb pointing over at Jonouchi. "Mariku, you'll be facing Jonouchi in this game."

God did he develop a new hatred for that man.

With Bakura nudging him in the ribs to stop a biting, sarcastic quip from being thrown at Tanaka, Mariku just silently accepted the decision and grabbed a racket, scowling when Jonouchi passed him to grab his own. The look was reciprocated, with the duo making their way over to one of the tennis courts to begin their game. As there were only a few courts available, only a couple of pairs could play the game at a single time, the rest of the group watching from the benches. Honda shouted some cheesy shit to Jonouchi, with Mariku letting his disgust show clearly on his face when the blonde replied with a thumbs up. Bakura sat next to Yuugi, watching with his leg crossed over the other one and his arms crossed across his chest, his eyes unmoving from where Mariku was standing. The sudden realisation that dozens of eyes were watching him caused the teen to sweat, his hands feeling clammy while gripping tightly onto the racket.

The game was simple enough. Jonouchi was the first to serve, tossing the ball up into the air and hitting it with all his might, trying to actually hit Mariku with the ball considering the way the ball soared through the air straight at him. However, he managed to hit it back with a grunt, trying to ignore the people watching him, likely judging and secretly wanting Jonouchi to kick his ass at this game. While some were encouraging Jonouchi, Mariku noticed Yuugi sitting there quietly, somewhat nervous over the game, before he quietly muttered something to Bakura. Curious over what was being said, he was forced to pay attention when the ball was hit back his way, trying to catch it when Jonouchi managed to make it bounce to the edge of the court. Stretching out his arm as far as he could, he managed to hit it back before stumbling, getting back up to his feet when Jonouchi didn't let up.

However, he couldn't move fast enough and watched the tennis ball sail past him, stopping when Jonouchi let his competitiveness get the best of him, twirling his racket around with that stupid grin on his face. Honda could be heard amongst those cheering. "Great shot, Jonouchi!"

"If your husband is done being cheerleader." Mariku retorted, picking up a spare tennis ball from the pile while Jonouchi scowled, readying himself as Mariku tossed the ball up slightly a few times before smugly adding. "My turn!"

Throwing it up into the air, he grunted while throwing the racket with all his strength, sending the tennis ball barreling down the court straight for Jonouchi, almost disappointed that the other teen managed to hit it back. They kept at it, hitting the ball back and forth with each side winning every other point. It was almost therapeutic with hitting the ball as hard as he could, though Mariku's day would really be made if the ball managed to bounce off Jonouchi's face. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Bakura and Yuugi talking to each other, both of them occasionally glancing up at him before resuming their conversation. His curiosity was getting the better of him, allowing Jonouchi to exploit his distracted thoughts and get in a few cheap shots, putting him in the lead to win the game. Frustrated, he allowed his eyes to glance again at the others, and when he did, he didn't see the ball coming straight at him until it was too late, hearing Yuugi notice and shout out. "Mariku, watch out!"

Lights out. Stars flashed in front of his eyes as he momentarily lost all his vision, hearing muffled voices surround him in panic as he couldn't hear what they were saying, almost echoing in his mind before he managed to regain his sight. Staring up at the sky, he realised that he had fallen onto his back from the blow, his eyes slowly blinking while his sight started to focus again. The faces above him became clear, Tanaka standing behind Bakura and Yuugi as the two kneeled by Mariku's sides, the former helping him up into a sitting position while asking him worryingly. "Are you alright? That was a serious blow to the face you got there."

"Ow… That fucking hurt." He complained, rubbing the front of his face where the tennis ball made contact. Flinching from his touch, he looked up to see Jonouchi walking from his side of the court, joining Honda's side with everyone crowding around the downed student. Accepting Bakura's hand, he felt Yuugi's hand on his back as the shorter teen helped him up, nodding gratefully at him while his hand continued to rub against the sore spot between his eyes. He had to hand it to Jonouchi, it was a good shot, but that didn't help the anger from bubbling to the surface as he snapped at the blonde. "Thanks for that, asshole!"

"You shoulda been paying attention!" Jonouchi shot back, trying to get at Mariku before the teacher separated them.

"Right, this game is over. Both of you are benched for the rest of the lesson." Tanaka ordered, gesturing to the bench with a point of his finger. Glaring at each other, the two punished students were powerless to do anything as they skulked off to the benches. Mariku sat down at one end, with Jonouchi sitting down on the other, the both of them ignoring each other save for the small scowls and glares they sent each other occasionally, instead watching at the teacher went on to pair up the rest of the students. Those that finished their games returned to the benches, most of them avoiding the spaces around Mariku and opted for the other side of the benches.

Trying to pretend that he didn't care was getting harder, so he tried to focus on the game between Bakura and Yuugi, the two having been paired up by Tanaka. Bakura had played the game before, having experience and skill over the more inexperienced Yuugi, and it showed through how they played, especially with Yuugi's shorter reach proving his disadvantage with his racket barely reaching the tennis ball flying past. Still, he had to give Yuugi points for determination, the short teen still trying to win the match even when it was apparent that Bakura had him beat. When his gaze shifted over to Bakura, he couldn't help but stare at how easy and fluid the movements were to his friend, almost like he could win the game with his eyes closed. His long white hair bounced around with his moving about, though he somehow managed to carry on the game without the wild strands getting in his face or eyes, the small horn-like strands on the top of his head moving around as he rushed to catch the tennis ball flying to his right.

Leaning his elbow onto his thigh, he planted his chin into his palm and continued to watch the match. Eventually, Bakura won the match, twirling the racket around in his hand while Yuugi made his way to the other side of the court, congratulating Bakura on the game with a bright smile on his face. Mariku didn't move when they started approaching him, raising an eyebrow when he noticed Yuugi pausing for a moment, glancing over at Jonouchi and Honda as they called him over to them. With a smile, he turned back to Mariku and Bakura as the latter sat down, brushing a strand of hair from in front of his face, and approached them quietly. That confused Mariku, him wondering why Yuugi would willingly come over to him as he sat up from his hunched over position, sitting straight as the short guy paused right in front of them. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Jonouchi got you pretty hard."

"Oh, yeah, it's alright now." He replied, rubbing the back of his neck as he added quietly. "Thanks… for sticking up for me before. I appreciate it."

"Well, you seemed genuine this morning, especially when you apologised to my grandpa. As long as he's fine with you, I guess I can give you another chance." Well this was sickeningly sweet. The anxiety in Mariku's stomach disappeared at those words, however, his face letting down his guard and showing the stunned reaction that he felt, unsure what to say outside of blurted out appreciation.

"Yeah, thanks for that."

"No problem!" Yuugi smiled, before turning to go and sit with Jonouchi and Honda. Mariku watched him go, noticing the glares he was receiving from Jonouchi, and yet he didn't reciprocate them, instead turning away and turning his attention back to Bakura.

"See? Keep this up, and we won't have to worry about you getting kicked out." He pointed out, earning a deep chuckle from Mariku before he added, looking back at the last of the tennis games that were about to take place. "Come on, let's see who wins these."

Watching the other students playing in their matches, Mariku couldn't help that small smile from pulling at his lips, that ray of hope lifting him up and the tightness that was in his chest fading away, allowing him to breathe properly. The worries of screwing up still plagued the back of his mind, especially after he screwed up with Jonouchi after being knocked out by that tennis ball, but sitting next to Bakura in a mutual silence, he wouldn't let the slip up with the feisty blonde ruin his chances to change his ways.

He had good hopes for the rest of the day.


	4. Kicked Out of House & Home

After the arguments and attack from a high speed tennis ball, lunch was a welcome to Mariku with the bell signalling the end of the lesson. After getting changed, the students in his lesson migrated to the dining hall, some going off back to their classrooms to hang out while their friends went to get lunch for them. Sitting at his desk, however, he started to regret not eating the breakfast that Rishid made for him that morning, and when he checked his bag, he beat himself up further when he realised that, in his haste to leave the house, he forgot to grab his lunch for the school day. His stomach growled loudly, Mariku pressing his hand against it in an attempt to calm it down, only to find it futile as the organ continued to tie itself into knots with the absence of food.

Everyone around him either didn't notice that he wasn't eating or simply didn't care. More students continued to walk into the classroom, holding the lunch boxes that they got from the dining hall down the hallway. The whole Friendship Gang was there, sitting on the other side of the room to Mariku, and he was grateful not to listen to their droning and Jonouchi's obnoxious voice, though he couldn't stop staring when he saw Yuugi chatting about something with Ryou. His older brother was nowhere to be seen, Mariku wondering where the hell Bakura had gone to before his stomach caused him to finally look away from the group of friends eating away. Shoving a hand in his pocket, all he could pull out was pocket fluff, a paper clip for some reason, and his phone, causing him to lay his head in his arms on the desk with a deep groan. He's misplaced his wallet. Again.

Wallowing in his self-pity and hunger, he didn't notice someone approaching his desk and placing a lunch box in front of him, the sound alerting him as Mariku lifted his head again. It was his lunch box. Glancing up to the mysterious person who brought it, he saw Malik standing there with that sly smirk on his face, the younger twin likely having known that he would had forgotten his lunch after the argument that morning. Sitting down on the other side of his desk, he pulled out his own lunch while pointing out. "I grabbed it after you stormed out this morning. As well as this."

His wallet was pulled out of Malik's jacket, being held up between two fingers before Mariku took it back, staring down at the worn leather with an unreadable expression on his face. It had seen better days. Opening it, he found that his money was still there, as well as his ID and small photo that Ishizu gave him a while ago. Back at Egypt, he stared at the young and round faces of him and Malik, the latter smiling warmly while he could barely manage a smile, it looking pained and forced. Even Ishizu herself only looked like she was in her teens, her now narrowed eyes wider and more warm and child-like, and her face not constantly stuck in that mature state. There was a rip in the photo however, and Mariku couldn't stop the scowl from appearing on his face when he remembered ripping it himself. The missing piece had his father on it, standing to the side of the twins with Ishizu opposite him, the whole family standing there and yet he remembered clear as day Rishid being forced to stand out of shot.

Father didn't want him in the family picture. His memories of childhood and Egypt were fuzzy, as if his mind was trying to make him forget and move on with his new life in Japan, but he would never forget Rishid's treatment at the hands of his father. According to the horrid man, Rishid would never be his son and an Ishtar, but Mariku had to admit, his older brother was there for him more times than he could count, trying to push and help Mariku out of the dark years here. Unable to stomach thinking about the past at the moment, he shut his wallet and shoved it into his wallet, before digging into his lunch without another word. Malik kept quiet, taking small bites of his rice while Mariku took huge mouthfuls in an attempt to calm his stomach. The rice wasn't as bland as it tasted that morning, clumping together so that he could easily pick up clumps with his chopsticks.

They continued to eat in silence, neither one of them wanting to talk about the breakfast that morning, and Mariku didn't want Malik to find out about his argument with Jonouchi during PE either, instead focusing on his lunch until Malik spoke up. "I heard about what happened in PE."

Shit. Mariku didn't say anything, but he did look up from his lunch box while he kept eating. Malik had stopped altogether, his chopsticks still in his hand as he rested it against the edge of the lunch box, a small clump that he had previously picked up falling back in with the rest. Not saying anything tipped Malik off, however, him able to read his twin like a book at the best of times, and he sighed in disappointment. "I thought you were trying to keep a low profile this week. You can't just start fights with everyone you don't like."

"I was keeping a low profile. If you bothered to learn more, you'd know that the bastard Jonouchi started getting in my face." Mariku growled into his food, feeling that appetite fading away again with the confrontation by his brother. Playing with the rice with his chopsticks, he looked back down at his food while adding. "He just got on my nerves."

He confessed that in a softer tone, the tired feeling that was sitting in his chest coming out in his words as he couldn't even keep up the anger. Malik noticed that, he always did, and his disappointment ebbed away with sympathy replacing it, though Mariku didn't know which one he prefered. The disappointment or the pity. "Look… We both knew this was going to be easy, but maybe we should try to avoid the Friendship Gang, at least for now. The wounds you caused them run pretty… deep."

Great, now he was spouting Ishizu rhetoric at him. However, his words did make sense, especially regarding the more hostile members of the gang, but Mariku didn't want to just give up. Swallowing down some more of his lunch, he pushed himself to continue eating, even with the anxiety pushing his appetite further and further away, and shook his head at Malik's suggestion. "I ain't giving up. Yuugi's given me a chance, and I don't give a shit what his friends think. I ain't got nothing to prove to them."

"Well, you kinda do." That gave Malik a heated glare that made him quickly explain further. "Yuugi wasn't the only person you terrorised. Besides him, Jonouchi and Atem have plenty of reason to hate you right now."

The truth ringing in those words caused Mariku's anger to lessen, his scowl falling into a small frown as he leaned into his uninjured hand, poking his food around again while Malik watched quietly. He managed to eat half of what Rishid had packed for him, moving on from the rice to the small rolls of sushi in another part of his box, glancing up to realise that Malik had vegetables instead of the fish rolled in nori. Made sense, considering Malik and his family were vegetarian, though he himself enjoyed meat for the first time during his first year in Japan. With some rice and vegetables in his grip, the shorter twin chewed on it slowly, enjoying his lunch in silence before muttering, trying to make the other Ishtar feel better about his predicament. "At least Solomon and Yuugi are willing to forgive you. Even if it's harder with the others, I'm sure they'll start to be less hateful when they see how you're trying to change."

"Considering Anzu and Atem tore my ass out this morning, and Jonouchi was ready to punch me before, I highly doubt it." He grumbled, chewing a small roll of sushi and swallowing it down before he added quietly, glancing over at the gang, who were oblivious to the fact that they were being talked about just a few feet away. "I ain't even sure Ryou likes me either."

"He seemed to care when I couldn't find you yesterday." Malik pointed out, pointing at Mariku with his chopsticks. "Besides, you're his brother's best friend. Ryou sees another side to you that not many others see. He ain't said anything mean to me."

"That's because lil' creampuff doesn't know what being mean is."

Malik chuckled at that, finding the comparison humourous while he finished his lunch box. Leaving the chopsticks in the box, he closed it up and shoved it back into his bag while Mariku carried on picking away at his, enjoying the last roll of sushi with slow chewing, his cheek bulged out with the food in his mouth. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Ryou packing up his lunch into his bag and muttered something to his friends, Jonouchi saying his goodbyes loudly enough that he could hear it from the other side of the room. That boy needed to get an indoor voice. However, instead of leaving the classroom for destinations unknown, Ryou started to approach the twins instead, a small smile on his face as he stared down at Malik, the latter busy getting ready for the next lesson.

"How's your face, Mariku?" He asked, holding his bag in front of his body.

He had forgotten all about the incident with the tennis ball, his hand ghosting over the spot between his eyes where Jonouchi had hit him during the match. The pain had gone, rather leaving a small, angry looking red spot that would likely disappear in a few hours, though the thought of getting back at the blonde student did cross his mind. He had to push it away, knowing that he was on incredibly thin ice, and doing anything would only fuck up his last chance. Letting his hand fall back down on the table, he nodded slowly. "Yeah, doesn't hurt that much anymore."

"Yuugi told me what happened. I just wanted to make sure you were alright." He explained. Mariku didn't reply to that,but he was grateful that Ryou showed some care over his injury, and pulled a chair to his desk with his foot hooking around the leg, gesturing for Ryou to sit down in it with a flick of his head. To his relief, Ryou didn't reject the offer and slowly sat down in the chair, leaving his bag in his lap while he turned to address Malik. "You haven't by any chance finished your Biology homework, have you?"

"Yep, stayed up last night to finish it off!" Malik answered brightly, going back to rummaging through his bag for said piece of homework. Mariku thought back, wondering if he had any that was due in, though he couldn't recall any being assigned to him. Then again, he could have easily been skipping school on the days that homework was issued, and ignored the teachers when they tried to give it to him when he was finally in. Either way, his bag was empty save for his PE uniform and lunch box, and when he looked up from under his desk, he saw Malik and Ryou going over the answers in their homework.

"Oh, I was stumped on this one." Ryou admitted, pointing at a question on the papers while making notes on his own. "Thanks for this. I did most of the questions yesterday, but these few were really tough."

"I asked Ishizu on some of them. I didn't get this one either." Malik confessed, showing the question that proved too difficult for him on his homework. Mariku leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and resting his feet on the legs of the desk, before he noticed that Bakura finally came into the classroom. Peeking at his phone, he realised that it was almost time for next lesson, wondering where his friend had been that it took the whole of lunchtime to get back to their classroom. Bag slung over shoulder and his jacket held in his arm, the new arrival immediately spotted his friend and younger brother at the back of the class and made a beeline straight for them, ignoring the Friendship Gang as they carried on talking and laughing with each other.

Ryou didn't notice his brother's sudden appearance until he was standing right beside him, focusing on finishing up the final questions while Bakura asked them. "I thought you did that yesterday?"

"I was done with all the questions I knew." Ryou pointed out, finally tearing his gaze away from the paper and looking up at Bakura. "Malik was just helping me with the last ones."

"Well I'd hurry up. Class is starting soon." Bakura replied, leaving Ryou to finish his homework and moving around the desk, standing by Mariku's side while the latter sat there, staring up at his friend with a neutral expression. Whatever lesson he had before lunch, it clearly exhausted Bakura as his eyes were narrower than usual, almost like he was fighting to stay awake, and it was the first time that Mariku noticed the bags sitting underneath those chocolate coloured eyes. Even when he spoke, it was more of a tired drawl than the usual raspy tone that he was used to. Concern ate away at him. However, Bakura wouldn't let anything show as he yawned softly, trying to hide it behind the back of his hand.

Quietly, he piped up in a humorous tone. "No offense, Bakura, but you look like shit."

"You should really work on those manners." Bakura shot back. Mariku smirked at him, trying to hide the concern and worry that was plaguing him, and decided against trying to push Bakura to admit why he was so exhausted. So, he kept quiet instead, listening as the white haired teen beside him added. "You know what lesson you got next?"

"Yep, Art. Checked this morning."

"Yuugi's in that class, isn't he?" Bakura was right. Back before all this, the Art classes were usually the time were Mariku did the worst of his bullying to Yuugi, especially since his friends weren't around to do anything about it. Mariku felt glad that he had a lesson with Yuugi without having to deal with his friends, but remembering just how much of a torment he was wiped the smirk clean from his face, and he couldn't help but wonder exactly why Yuugi decided to give him another chance. Hell, if he was Yuugi, he'd tell himself to get lost. Nodding, Bakura continued in a lower voice. "At least you won't have to deal with Jonouchi for the lesson."

"That's a plus." Mariku grumbled.

Ryou finished writing, putting his pen and homework back into his bag while innocently interjecting into the conversation. "You can't really blame Jonouchi, though. Yuugi is his best friend."

"And you weren't exactly the nicest person to him, either." Malik joined in.

"Exactly." Ryou agreed, closing the flap over his school bag before looking up at Mariku. "You did steal from him as well."

"And then there was the hospital incident." Malik added.

"Are you both done pointing out what a terrible person I am?" Mariku snapped, glaring at the younger students in front of him. Ryou, upon realising that his words had stuck Mariku deep, immediately shown his regret as he glanced away, instead staring at Malik who had too started to feel bad over bringing up the past. Brushing some of his platinum blonde hair from in front of his eyes, he allowed Ryou to carry on for the both of them.

"Sorry about that. What we're trying to say is… maybe you should give Jonouchi some space. He's very vocal over his opinion about you, and it's not very positive at the moment." Mariku got that. Maybe Ryou was right, he should just leave Jonouchi alone and focus on making it up to those willing to accept his apologies first, at least until he could show that he had changed, but it was insanely difficult to hold his tongue when Jonouchi was practically stuck to Yuugi's side all the time. When he wasn't, Anzu took over and her opinion about him was just as bad as the hot headed blonde. Art lessons would be his sanctuary anyway.

Suddenly, the school bell rang loudly, causing Mariku to wince as the ringing continued on in his ears even after the bell had ceased. Bakura seemed even more pained by the sudden sounds, rubbing the side of his head with a grimace on his face. With the students around them getting ready for their upcoming lesson, Mariku busied himself with grabbing his things, throwing his bag strap over his shoulder and standing up from his desk, the chair scraping loudly against the wooden floor. Staring down at Malik as the latter packed away his homework, he frowned slightly as he muttered. "I guess I'll see you later."

"Yeah. Ishizu said she'll come with Rishid when they drop your stuff off at Bakura's later." He explained, standing up from the desk with his bag slung over his shoulder. Mariku nodded at that, biting back any sarcastic remark. It wouldn't help the situation and he had to remember that Malik wasn't at fault for anything that happened in the family. Instead, he just took his stuff and walked to the door, wanting to get out of the conversation as quickly as possible, though Bakura stuck to his side even when they were in the crowds blocking up the hallways.

They didn't talk this time. Mariku wasn't feeling up to saying anything, and he was certain Bakura just wanted to school day to be over so he could go to bed, staring straight ahead through half closed eyes and a blank expression on his face. He wanted to ask, to make sure that Bakura was fine and that there was nothing going on that he didn't know about, but at the same time he was worried that Bakura would just brush him off, insist that everything was fine like he would do to Ryou and Amane. According to them, everything was fine and Bakura would make sure that they had an alright life, but Mariku knew about the breakdowns in the past, and the signs were worrying. The same glassy look in his eyes, the lack of response to anyone around him. It was driving him insane with worry.

Walking up the stairs to the first floor, he had to dodge a few of the students running down the opposite way, trying to get to class on time, and opted to let them off with a quick glare before going on his way. His art class was close to the staircase, the group of students standing around the door clear as soon as he reached the top of the stairs. Glances and whispers about his presence soon followed, the students trying to remain inconspicuous even though Mariku could clearly see that they were talking about him, his usual scowl replacing the neutral look he previously had as he moved to go into the classroom, though he paused when Bakura stopped following after him. Turning around, he listened as his friend muttered. "I'll see you last lesson."

"Okay. See ya, Bakura." He bid goodbye, watching as Bakura turned and started walking down the hallway to his own lesson. Rooted to his spot, he didn't move to enter the classroom until he saw his friend turn the corner, disappearing from his sight, and then followed after the other students when they walked into the classroom. Huge spaces and tables pushed together so that students could sit in small groups, the art classroom was a vast difference compared to the classrooms used for Mathematics or Japanese, with art work done by students previous to the class currently using the room hanging up for all to see.

Mariku wasted no time in making his way to the back of the classroom. By the sinks and art supplies that were kept there, he had his own small table that could hold half of what the other tables could hold, given to him to keep him away from the other students that he would terrorise. It was lonely. Sitting down on his chair, staring down at where the teacher would stand all the way on the other side of the room, he looked around at his classmates joking and chatting away, feeling a pang of jealousy as he sat off on his own. A voice piped up, almost too quiet for him to catch at first, but he'd recognise it from anywhere. "This seat taken?"

Yuugi stood there, shorter than Mariku even when the latter was sitting down, with those wide eyes staring up at him and his hand rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Mariku blinked slowly, almost unable to process the request that was given to him just then, his brain only making static noises as he tried to think of an answer. After realising that Yuugi was still standing there, he gestured to the empty chair beside him and nodded, almost unable to get his words out as he babbled. "Uh, yeah, sure… Knock yourself out."

"Thanks." Taking the seat offered to him, Yuugi pulled the backpack off of his shoulders and shoved it underneath him, before returning his hands to the top of the desk on top of each other. The shorter of the two looked nervous, seemingly unable to bring himself to look Mariku in the eyes, and even Mariku himself felt awkward just sitting there, unsure what to say to make the whole situation seem less weird for the both of them. Yuugi's request didn't go unnoticed, with the students glancing over at the two in confusion, unsure if Yuugi was there willingly or if Mariku had sunken his claws into the hapless student for a whole lesson torment ahead of him. Mariku ignored them, instead leaning against his hand and staring off into the distance until the teacher would make an appearance.

The silence was suffocating. Over the time they spent sitting there, some of the more extrovert girls in the class started chatting to Yuugi, all the while sending Mariku glares and scowls, trying to send him the message to not even think about bullying Yuugi again. He ignored them, or at least tried his best to, and eventually the students backed off after the kind hearted boy sitting next to him explained for the millionth time that he chose to sit next to Mariku, and did not want to go over to the other group of students waiting for him. Mariku never knew how popular he was with the female students, though he would give that to the fact that Yuugi was short and quite adorable, and he was the big mean bully that would relentlessly torment him. Scowling at those that didn't get the hint, he was finally rewarded with peace and quiet as the last ones scurried off from him. Quietly, Yuugi asked him with curiosity clear in his voice, staring down at the bandaged hand resting on the desk beside him. "What happened to your hand?"

Slowly, he lifted the hand and stared at the bandages that Rishid wrapped around it that morning, his scowl disappearing slightly as he explained bluntly. "I punched a window."

"Is that why there's a hole in the window near our class?" Mariku nodded at that, looking down at Yuugi while still leaning his chin into the palm of his uninjured hand. Eyes widened slightly at that, the younger boy staring down at the hand while continuing to try to talk to him. "It looks like it hurt."

"It did."

"Why'd you punch the window?"

"Because I was angry."

Any question thrown at him was met with short and to the point answers. Not in the mood to go into detail over his life and his anger problems, he stared at the front of the class when the teacher finally made their appearance, spewing out apologies to the bored students who had to wait a while for her to show up. Out of the original teachers that taught Mariku, his art teacher, Ms Saito, was one of the few that he enjoyed being around. A bit of a wildcard, neither one of her lessons were the same to another, and she taught in a pretty hands on way that stopped him from getting bored and frustrated. Thin yet tall, she looked more like a teenage boy than a grown woman, with her hair shortly chopped and her face narrowly shaped, almost like a heart. Instead of wearing more feminine clothing that his other female teachers wore, Saito enjoyed wearing trousers and shirts to school, with paint splattered onto the dark fabric of her trousers from her previous lessons of the day.

It was messy and different to what his other lessons were, but it was the only time where Mariku felt like he actually knew what he was doing, and was free to let his creativity take control instead of sitting behind a desk, listening as numbers and words were drilled into his head to the point where he wanted to explode. Saito explained what the class would do today, and quickly sent the students on to continue on their previous artwork. Yuugi pulled out his book from his bag, dropping it on the desk while Mariku rummaged through his bag, trying to find his sketchbook amongst the paper and clothes that he had shoved into it. Unable to find it, he paused and tried to recall where his book could possibly be. He never took it out of his bag when he got home, having another book that he did some sketches and colouring in at home, and as he continued to panic over losing his book, he heard Ms Saito pipe up from beside his desk.

"I think this belongs to you, Mariku." Something small and black was passed over to him, Mariku turning his head to see that it was in fact his sketchbook. Grateful, he took it from the teacher with a small smile, listening as she asked in a lowered tone. "Yuugi, how come you're sitting all the way back here?"

"Oh, Mariku said it was alright for me to sit here." Yuugi explained, a bright smile on his face even though he was nervous up until that point sitting next to Mariku.

Raising an eyebrow, he watched as Saito nodded with a pleased look on her face, happy that Mariku wasn't forcing Yuugi to sit next to him and that there was nothing going on at the desk. "Alright then. If either of you need something, I'll be just over there."

Before Mariku could respond, she had disappeared back to the front of the class to finish up some important work that was handed to her before class. Left alone, he got to work on his sketches, flicking through the worn pages as he stared blankly at them, feeling somewhat self-conscious when he saw some of the sketches that he hastily finished after getting bored with them. Hands were always the ones to trip him up. Some of the pages were dedicated to sketches of animals, mainly birds and undetailed outlines of cats so he could get the shape of their bodies down perfectly, while he started doing more realistic style in the later pages, using some of his family and friends as reference. Malik was more than willing to model for him, the confident twin always flaunting his appearance and pride over how he took good care over his looks. Ishizu was more mature regarding it, if slightly taken aback at the request when Mariku first asked her, and tried to reject it by saying she wasn't much of a model.

Eventually, she gave in and agreed, and Mariku was actually pleased with the result as he stared down at her picture. Her hair was worn in the typical way, with two bundles parted from the rest in the gold hoops that she wore in them, having the bundles of hair resting against her collarbones while the rest of her hair flowed freely behind her. She'd never admit it, and thought of herself as rather plain, but she had a simple beauty about her without the makeup that he sees many other girls in his school wear. From beside him, he heard Yuugi compliment him. "That's amazing!"

"Uh… thanks?" He slowly replied, trying to remember that it was a genuine compliment and not one of those verbal backhands that he was so used to. Yuugi's smile stayed bright, finding his nervousness washing away when he saw that Mariku was just as awkward around him, and watched sympathetically when the tanned teenager confessed quietly. "I gotta admit, I'm finding this whole 'making up' business hard. Why'd you do this?"

"Huh? You mean why I'm giving you a chance?" Yuugi hummed, staring up with his widened eyes before he looked away. Crossing his arms on the table, he appeared thoughtful, leaving Mariku stewing in his anxiety and curiosity about what he was going to say, before he revealed in a quiet tone. "You know that Jonouchi used to bully me too?"

Stunned, Mariku couldn't think of anything to say to that, surprised that the conversation took a turn that he really would not have seen. Keeping his voice quiet to avoid drawing the attention of the nearby students, he blurted out. "Really?"

Nodding, Yuugi's smile turned into an almost saddened one, as if the memory physically pained him to recall. It was then that Mariku actually felt sympathy for the boy sitting next to him, offering a listening ear to his recollection of the past. "Yup. You weren't really around but it was a couple of years ago. He'd take my stuff, call me a baby, said that it was the only way he could make me into a man. He once took my school bag and threw it into the school pool. It had my phone in it that my grandpa got me for my birthday that just passed."

"Holy shit…" Mariku looked away, watching the teacher working away at the front of the classroom. Even with the truth out there, he couldn't believe that the two closest friends that he ever saw, outside of him and Bakura obviously, were once like he was with Yuugi. While he did feel sorry for Yuugi's school life, especially after he came into the picture, he couldn't help but feel that same anger bubbling up to the surface when he recalled Jonouchi's treatment of him, when he had done the same thing a couple of years ago. Fingers ghosted over the spot where the tennis ball had struck him, memories of Jonouchi's smug face when he quickly regain consciousness causing his teeth to grind together.

Yuugi apparently noticed the small cues in his face and tried to keep him calm, adding in a chippier tone. "But he changed! After I tried to help him with Ushio, he stuck by me. He's one of my closest friends… and that's why I'm willing to give you the same chance, Mariku. If Jonouchi was able to change, why can't you?"

That simmered down the anger boiling in the pit of his stomach. With his question answered, Yuugi went back to finishing up some of his projects that he had left unfinished, leaving Mariku to just sit there with a blank expression on his face, unsure what to say or what to feel. Yet, it had been awhile since he was able to push that anger down when it was on the edge of exploding. Pencil twirling in his bandaged hand, he turned his attention back to the sketches that needed finishing, practicing his shadowing by continuing one sketch of some shapes that Saito had left out for him previous lesson. At least, the previous lesson that he attended. The two sat in silence, focusing on their school work while the students around them carried on chatting and joking as they continued their art project. Unlike before, the silence between the two students weren't awkward or suffocating. It was almost like a mutual agreement.

Even with Saito checking in on the two, making sure that Yuugi was alright and Mariku was behaving, he didn't really let it ruin his good mood, knowing that she wasn't penalising him for something that he hadn't yet done. That cheery, bright smile that she constantly wore was a stark contrast to the more dour expressions the other teachers wore whenever he was in their class, and even when she was reprimanding him about something, she took care not to make him feel like shit about it. In all honesty, Mariku wished he had her for all his lessons.

Eventually, the school bell rang to signal the end of class. Packing his things away into his bag, he thought that Yuugi would just pack up his stuff and leave, though he was surprised to see that the other student remained standing there, even after he had finished up packing and was ready to leave for the last lesson of the day. He seemed nervous, his hand rubbing the back of his head while he smiled brightly, keeping quiet as Mariku stared at him with a slightly raised eyebrow, wondering what the short stack wanted to say to him. The lesson was over, he didn't have to sit with Mariku anymore or put up with his abrasive attitude, and yet Yuugi surprised him further when he managed to ask him. "You wanna come round to mine sometime? Just to do some more of our art projects together, I mean."

"I dunno, Yuugi. Atem made it clear that I'm not exactly welcome over there." He grumbled, leaning into his hand dejectedly when he remembered how coldly Atem brushed him off.

That was when Yuugi revealed, rather slyly for the usual sweet kid. "Atem's staying over at Jonouchi's this Friday. You can come over then, I'm sure grandpa won't tell my brother."

Sneaky. Mariku didn't mind sneaking around, especially given the missing brother's initial reaction to him turning up at game shop suddenly, and he trusted Solomon not to go telling Atem the truth. After giving it a few moments of thought, he slowly nodded, explaining in a low tone when he remembered the meeting he had that day as well. "Sure. I got a meeting with the principal after school, but I'm free after that."

"A meeting? Has it gotten that serious?"

"Yeah… If I don't buck my ideas up, I'm gonna face expulsion. Wouldn't wanna miss out on the mean words that Jonouchi throws at me, now would I?" The small joke made Yuugi laugh quietly. It was nice, seeing his face light up and smile rather than the gloomy, miserable Yuugi that he would see before. Maybe he had what it took to actually change for the better.

Suddenly, the mood was ruined when they heard Atem's voice call out loudly. "Yuugi."

Both of them turned towards the door, noticing Atem standing there propping the door open with his arm. His eyes were narrowed, staring past Yuugi and settling on Mariku as he gave the latter a cold glare, earning one of equal strength from the Egyptian as he continued to sit there. Yuugi smiled awkwardly, raising his hand slightly as a small wave before turning back to Mariku. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Sure thing, Yuugi." With that, he was left alone sitting at his desk, watching as Yuugi left the classroom with his brother, but not before he was given an especially angered scowl by the taller sibling. Unable to stop himself from returning the mutual feeling, he stared at the door closing with narrowed eyes before it closed completely, only letting up on his anger when he was certain that he was alone. Sighing to himself, he picked his bag off the table and slung it over his shoulder, hand gripping onto the strap while he muttered goodbyes to Ms Saito and exited the class, unsure if she was paying enough attention to return his farewells.

Alone, he walked down the hallways to his last lesson, staring down at his feet walking along the solid wooden floor with his thoughts running through his mind, paying no attention to the remaining students trying to get to their lessons on time. When they realised that he wasn't going to start anything with those near him, they stopped moving out of his way and making a clear path for him to walk through, though he couldn't care less about them. He felt happy for once, even after the little bump in the road that was Atem. The story that Yuugi told him may had pissed him off, especially with Jonouchi's treatment of him, but it also gave Mariku hope and confirmation that Yuugi wasn't just playing some cruel joke on him, giving false hope that he could move on from his past. It wasn't in his nature to do so, but that didn't stop the thought from popping up now and again. Given that Yuugi forgave Jonouchi for bullying him, it wasn't that far fetched anymore that he would extend the same courtesy to Mariku.

That said, his smile didn't last long when he reached his last lesson of the day. Physics. Out of all the lessons, that one was one of his most despised lessons, and it wasn't even because the teachers had that air of snobbery about her, but because he didn't understand anything about the subject. He got gravity and that it was why he wasn't barrelling into space at the moment, but when the teacher busted out the equations on how to calculate energy and the effect of forces on an object when taking into the factor of air resistance and friction on the ground, it was all lost on him, and it was rubbed into his face at any opportunity his teacher had. Whenever a particularly difficult question came up, she made sure to ask Mariku for the answer, even when he sat there with a confused look on his face and Bakura willing to answer it beside him. It took all his strength not to throw his chair at her whenever she did that, digging nails in the marble table that was in all science based classrooms and biting his tongue hard enough that sometimes he could taste that familiar copper taste of blood.

Bakura noticed her behaviour towards the delinquent as well, though he was regarded highly by her, along with the more well behaved students, so Mariku didn't know if she was always like that or if she took the opportunities to get back at him for his horrible treatment of her.

That lesson was no different. Muttering his apologies for being slightly late, he had to sit there and endure her passive aggressive jabs, trying to tune them out enough that he wouldn't lose his temper. Eventually, she got out what she wanted to say, and carried on with the lesson of the day. With their final exams lingering next year, they were constantly bombarded with questions and scenarios that were thought to likely be on the exams. Mariku tried to listen, he really did, but soon he found the same pressure building up in his head and chest, headaches thudding between his temples as he rubbed them slowly, trying to do that and write down notes that he noticed Bakura were taking down at the same time. The room felt smaller, constricting, suffocating, he couldn't breathe. Panic started kicking in when he realised that the anger and frustration were boiling together in the pit of his stomach, threatening to bubble to the surface and trigger another episode. He couldn't afford an episode right there.

Did he take his medication that morning? Everything was blurry when he tried to recall, but he must had, he did the same thing every morning. Like a routine that was hammered into his head ever since he got the stupid bottle of pills. He could recall the disgusting taste, the shame that his family likely felt over him having to take them just to function properly. He wanted to get out. His heartbeat was irregular, the thundering sound of blood rushing in his ears almost deafening, and he couldn't even hear the teacher's droning on with her voice echoing off, like they were in a canyon standing on opposite ends. Tremors shook through his body, his leg unable to keep still as he bounced it under his desk and his hand gripping tightly on his pen, the feeling of the plastic cracking under the pressure and small plastic shards poking through his banadages into his skin.

He didn't relent, continuing to grip the pen harshly until it finally snapped under the pressure, the two halves falling on the desk. Bakura sat there silently, watching as the teacher hadn't noticed the incident before turning to Mariku. Voice a low and quiet tone, he asked his best friend calmly. "What's wrong?"

" _I don't know._ " Mariku growled deeply, gritting his teeth together harshly in a desperate attempt to stem the incoming explosion. His hand rested on the desk, flexing and unflexing while he watched the teacher continue to write down equations, finding the letters and numbers lost on him and frustrated that he couldn't seem to get it. He was ready to blow up, it could be felt in his stomach and chest, tightening up to the point where he felt like he couldn't take in a breath of air and starved his lungs. It hurt.

Suddenly, he felt something resting on top of his right hand, raising his eyebrows in shock as he quickly snapped his head down to see what it was. Bakura, having seen Mariku struggling to keep himself calm under the pressure, placed his hand over his friend's, letting it rest there while Mariku's brain suddenly went dead. Words were all but useless as his tongue felt like it grew double in size, sitting in his mouth while he tried to think of what to say. Everything that was being thrown at him fell silent. Instead, he just stared at Bakura's hand on his, feeling his heart completely stop and that anger fizzling down, especially when he made out Bakura mutter to him. "It'll be alright. Just try to make it through this lesson."

And just as fast as it appeared, his hand moved away to rest by his open book. Mariku couldn't help but feel the disappointment of the subtle action ending already, staring down at his own hand with his cheeks feeling warmer, his other hand holding his cheek while propped up on the table. Without saying another word, Bakura took out another pen from his pencil case and passed it over to him, a small smile on his face that made Mariku take the pen with a dumbfounded look. He wanted to be smooth and charming, say something poetic or cool that made Bakura realise that there was something there, but all he could manage was a few messed up words and a stammered. "Thanks…"

For the rest of the lesson, he couldn't get the feeling of warmth that emanated from Bakura's hand as it laid on top of his out of his head, wanting that feeling to come back. Thankfully, the teacher hadn't asked Mariku for answers to the questions that she asked, rather relying on the more enthusiastic students that raised their hands for a chance to show off their knowledge, and honestly Mariku was grateful for them. Even Bakura got in a few correct answers. Finally, the school bell rang, and the students couldn't have gotten out of the school even if they ran for it. The warm summer sun was welcome after being cooped up in the building for most of the day, Mariku stretching his arms out before lifting his arms so that his hands touched the top of his shoulder blades, balling up as he felt the muscles stretched out blissfully after hours of not being used. Malik hadn't shown up after school, rather Bakura and Mariku meeting up with Amane and Ryou at the gates leading out of the school grounds. It wasn't hard to spot them out of the crowds given their pure white hair.

Amane was energetic as ever, going over her school day to Bakura and Ryou. Mariku tried to listen, but the fast pace words and her many friends only ended up confusing him, wondering where the teenage girl knew all those people. Was it Aiko or Miho who accidentally split their drink on a boy they liked? Shaking his head, he just let Amane carrying on in their long rant to Bakura, a smirk appearing on his face when he noticed that the eldest sibling didn't have a clue what was going on either. A ping of his phone in his pocket drew Mariku's attention away from the group, peeking down at the lit up screen with curiosity. It was an unknown number. However, when he read the text, he raised an eyebrow with his smirk falling more into a genuine smile.

_Hey, Mariku! Ryou gave me the number to this phone so I thought you'd want my phone number!_

_Yuugi._

Silently, he saved the number under Yuugi's name and shoved the phone back into his jacket pocket, listening to the story that Amane had started while he was distracted. She was very much a chatterbox, completely different from the more soft spoken and quiet Ryou and Bakura, who prefered to sit in a group and listen rather than take over the topic loudly like their younger sister. It was strange, walking through the streets near Bakura's house as opposed to making his way to the more modest neighbourhood where he lived, though he grew more and more stiff as they neared the store that was on the corner of Bakura's street. It was too early for Rin to be taking her break, but he never put it past the older girl to somehow find a way to leave to talk to Bakura, or put him down. Thankfully, the usual smoking place that she used only had other store employees there, and they didn't particularly care about Mariku or Bakura as they ignored the small group passing by.

Reaching the familiar house, Mariku paused, letting Amane and Ryou walk up to the front door without him. It was strange. The house in front of him would be his home until Ishizu felt that he had behaved enough to let him back into her house, and rather than feel giddy or excited to actually be living with Bakura, he just felt dejected and numb. Still, he pressed on, following after Bakura as they entered the house, shutting the door behind him while undoing his jacket from around his waist, kicking his shoes off by the small cubby that was full of shoes. The others did the same, Bakura hanging his jacket on the hooks that were nailed into the wall above before moving into the living room. Amane followed after, loudly asking her brother. "What're we having for dinner?"

"I don't know. Lemme just check."

Going into the living room, he noticed that Ryou had already sat down on the end of the couch with his game console in hand, staring intently at the screen. Amane was on the other end, resting her legs on her older brother's lap while she was engrossed in her game, neither of them paying attention to Mariku as he instead opted to go into the kitchen. Bakura was kneeling down in front of the freezer, hand resting on the open freezer door, staring at the contents with a deep frown on his face before groaning under his breath. Mariku moved closer, towering over the shorter teen while he continued to stare into the freezer. Finally, he leaned the side of his head against the door and confessed quietly. "I'm too tired to cook tonight."

"We could always have takeout." Mariku suggested, leaning against the counter while Bakura peeked over the door, staring up as he shrugged. "I got money. Come on, my treat."

"Well, considering you're paying… sure." Slowly, Bakura got back to his feet and shut the freezer door, pointing at the drawer that Mariku was leaning against with a short comment. "There's some menus that I left in that drawer. Go and see what the others want."

Nodding, he pushed himself off the counter and opened the drawer he was leaning against, staring down at the mess inside with a blank expression. There was so much junk in there. Batteries, pencils, he even found a screwdriver that was carelessly tossed in when there was no need for it, and he had to rummage to the back of the drawer to find the menus that Bakura had mentioned. With them in hand, he turned to see that his best friend had disappeared back into the living room, the sound of the TV loud in the background. Peeking through the archway, he noticed that it was one of those old films, the screen entirely black and white, with Bakura sitting in his usual spot in the armchair. Unmoving, he was resting his head against his knuckles with his arm propped up on the arm of his chair. It was almost eerie how still he could sit. Leaving him be to watch the movie, Mariku instead walked over to the younger siblings playing away on their games, smacking Amane on the top of her head lightly with the menu to grab her attention.

With her pausing her game and staring up at him, he loudly asked them so that Ryou could hear too. "What'd you guys want? We're having takeout tonight."

"Oh!" Amane exclaimed. "I'll have the noodles."

"Dumplings for me, please." Ryou added, looking up from his game with a soft smile. Mariku nodded at that, picking up the house phone from beside Bakura's chair before pausing, staring down at the eldest sibling patiently.

Noticing his stares, he muttered in a tired tone. "Just get me some noodles as well."

With all the orders, he punched in the number on the top of the menu with his thumb and brought the phone to his ear, waiting the dial tone out until he heard a voice on the other end. After giving his orders in and the address, he ended the call and put the phone back in the port that it belonged to, tossing the menu on the mantelpiece and deciding to take the time to relax after the stressful day of school. Rishid and Ishizu should have been coming around soon with his stuff. Moving over to the long couch, he waited for Amane to move her legs before sitting down between her and Ryou, saying nothing when she put her legs back down across his lap. He said nothing about it, rather leaning further into the back of the couch while watching the weird movie that Bakura had put on. As well as being black and white, there wasn't much about it that interested him besides the fighting scenes, watching through half lidded eyes before finally deciding to ask Bakura. "What the hell is this?"

"On the Waterfront." He revealed, taking one look at Mariku's confused expression before explaining further. "It's based on working on the docks in New Jersey. I watched it with my father years ago."

"Okay… who's that guy?"

"Terry Malloy, the main character. He's an ex-boxer who works on the docks."

Pausing, Mariku glanced between the TV screen and Bakura sitting there. "An ex-boxer? What happened?"

"You see that guy?" Bakura pointed out, gesturing to another man on the screen for Mariku to see. In a suit with slick back light hair, he wasn't that hard to spot amongst the more modest wearing cast, especially with the smug looks that he constantly wore on his face. Nodding, he listened as Bakura elaborated on the plot. "That's Johnny Friendly, the union boss of the docks who has connections to the mob. He had Terry throw a boxing match so he could win money he betted on."

"Where's the fighting? They're just standing around with fucking pigeons."

"There'll be fighting soon." Mariku kept quiet after that, hearing the annoyance building up in Bakura's tone at the constant questions and disruptions. Letting his arms rest on top of Amane's shins, he stared at the screen with utter boredom, wanting something exciting to happen like a good old bar fight or a shoot out, like in the wild west type movies that he occasionally saw. Recalling back to one that he made the rest of his family watch, he remembered Ishizu becoming nauseous when the scene where the girl fell into a pit with a venomous viper in it, resulting in her getting bit.

They didn't watch it again after that. Even Malik had to cover his eyes with the viper scene, having grown a deep fear of the serpents after nearly being killed by one in their childhood back in Egypt. After trying to get a ball that they were playing with, he was bitten in the ankle by a cobra, which Rishid quickly killed before bringing Mariku and Malik to the hospital. He barely survived that encounter, and their father reacted less than ideally with Rishid afterwards. Mariku could remember the arguments while he was sitting on Malik's bed, unsure whether or not his brother would pull through. The fear and realisation that he would be alone hit the young Mariku, and he clung to Ishizu, desperate for soothing words and calming touches to pull him through the dark times. She always knew what to say. After his mother died when he was just an infant, he never really knew her, and instead turned to Ishizu for the love that a mother would give her child, especially since he didn't find it with his father.

Thinking about that time just made him want to go home more.

After around twenty minutes of watching the boring movie in silence, the doorbell rang, and Mariku had to stop himself from launching Amane's legs off the couch as he got up, moving briskly to the front door. Grabbing his wallet from his jacket pocket, he pulled out the money while opening the door, staring down at the short delivery girl standing there. She looked ridiculously young, with dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and hidden under her work hat, but all he could focus on was the bag of food that was in her hand. Holding it up, she politely asked him. "Is this the Bakura residence?"

"Yep. Thanks." He nodded, taking the bag of takeout from her hand and passing the money to her.

When he tried to close the door, she stopped him with her hand stretched out, adding in a nervous tone. "Erm… I think you forgot my, erm, my tip?"

Pausing, he stared down at the outstretched hand with a blank look, glancing up at her nervous smile before deciding to throw the dog a bone, placing the food on the side while opening his wallet. Taking out a few notes, he gave it to her silently and then closed the door, leaving the delivery girl outside without so much as a farewell. Food in hand, Mariku shoved his wallet back into his jacket pocket and walked back into the living room, holding the bag up high as he called out to the others sitting there. "Dinner's here."

Amane was the first of them to get up, leaving Bakura and Ryou behind in the dust as she followed after Mariku, the older boy walking into the kitchen to unpack all the food that he paid for. With the teenage girl grabbing the plates for him, it didn't take him long to dish up all the food and pass it to the others waiting patiently. With Ryou and Amane taking their food back into the living room, Bakura stood there with his plate resting on the counter, picking at his spiced noodles with his chopsticks as Mariku finished plating up his diced chicken, noodles and vegetables. The aroma of the heavenly spiced food wafted into his nose, his mouth watering at the thought of digging in, though he refrained from doing so when Bakura yawned. "Thanks for ordering in tonight."

"You looked like you were ready to fall over dead." Mariku pointed out jokingly, though his humour fell flat and the worry shown up in his face instead, the taller of the two turning to face his friend. "What's up?"

"I've just been really tired lately." He confessed, slowly blinking as it looked like he was ready to fall asleep right where he stood. Stifling his yawns with the back of his hand, he carried on explaining. "I was talking to my father last night. There's a chance his project might be delayed… so he might come home later than we hoped. I just don't think I can keep going on like this."

"Well, I'm here now. I can at least help out for you." Mariku offered. His offer made Bakura smile warmly, both of them standing there in silence while the movie played on in the background. It was only small, but it was as warm as it would be if Bakura was grinning brightly. For Mariku, it was enough to warm up his heart and bring his own smile out, his hand moving to rub the back of his neck nervously.

"Come on, let's go and eat." Bakura finally piped up, taking his plate of food and disappearing back into the living room. Mariku stood there for a moment, a dumb smile on his face before he quickly followed after the others with his dinner in hand. Amane and Ryou had put their games away, sitting down on the couch with their dinners in their laps, staring at the movie that kept playing on the TV. Bakura had settled back in his chair, watching his favourite film through half closed eyes while he absentmindedly chewed on his food, his head settled lazily into the palm of his hand.

Mariku moved passed the youngest of the trio, sitting back down in his spot with his dinner in hand, and started tucking into the beautifully flavoured takeout. The whole group sat in silence in fear of winding Bakura up by talking during his favourite movie, both Mariku and Amane occasionally asking something about either the film, or how their day was, and even just random stuff to stem the boredom from watching the old time classic. The spices thrown into the noodles had set Marik's mouth on fire, the teen drinking heavily from his cup that Amane had gotten him in a desperate attempt to stop the painful stinging, his eyes tearing up slightly as he coughed, covering his mouth to stifle the sound. Eventually, Bakura had finished his dinner, slowly getting to his feet and taking the empty plates off his siblings, moving to take Mariku's when he moved it away, getting up himself while chuckling. "I can do my own dishes, you know?"

"You paid for dinner." Bakura retorted, though he didn't push the matter as he instead gave the plates to his friend, going to sit back down while Mariku went back into the kitchen. He didn't mind doing some chores, especially since he was crashing in Bakura's home and he was exhausted from constantly caring for his siblings, on top of house work and school work. Turning the hot water tap on, he left the plates on the side while looking for the washing up liquid, finding the bottle in the cupboard under the sink.

Picking it up, he added a squirt of the fresh smelling liquid to the water and watched it foam up, the bubbles growing before he stopped the water running, adding some cold water to stop it from scalding his hands the moment he put them in the water. There wasn't many plates to do, though there were extra from breakfast that morning, Bakura likely either forgetting or having no time to do them before he had to leave for school. The warmth surrounding his submerged hands were therapeutic, though he had to remove the bandages wrapped around his right hand to stop them from getting wet, and the soap getting into the healing cuts stung like a bitch. Wincing slightly, he ignored the annoying pain as he carried on washing the dishes, listening to the others talking about things in the living room behind him.

The film had come near to its end, the sounds of fighting and punches clear to Mariku's ears as he turned his head, trying to watch the film and do the chores at the same time, though he had little success with that and was forced to stare out the window instead. The skies were darkening as the sun started to set behind the buildings, the colours of dusk staining the once clear blue and the navy blues following suit. Long shadows were casted over the huge back garden, most of it covered in darkness while Mariku noticed a lone cat sitting on the fence, paying no attention to the humans in the house as it continued to groom itself, sticking its leg high in the air while still balancing perfectly on the narrow fence. Even Mariku had difficulty stopping himself from falling into the alleyway whenever he climbed over the fence to escape Bakura's house unseen.

Suddenly, he heard knocking on the front door, wondering who it was when he noticed Bakura getting up from his chair once again, disappearing from his sight to go and answer the door. When it opened, he could barely make out the quiet mutters, and soon enough, Bakura returned to the living room, quietly ordering his siblings. "Guys, go upstairs for a second."

That didn't sound good. Shoving a soaking wet plate in the drying rack, he grabbed the dish towel and dried his hands, taking care not to rub against the cuts in his hand while he turned around, only to stop drying when he realised who was standing in front of him. Ishizu stared back, hand resting on top of a large suitcase that she had packed all his things in. Bakura was half out of sight, giving the siblings some alone time as he disappeared completely around the corner. Mariku just stood there, slowly tossing the dish cloth on the side while never moving his gaze from his older sister, who stood there calmly before breaking the silence. "I've packed up your clothes and uniforms. I thought you'd like your art supplies too, I know how much you enjoy drawing."

"Thanks." He mumbled, walking closer to her and taking the suitcase from her possession. Lifting it up, he felt the weight of all his things shoved into the one suitcase, unwilling to look up at Ishizu as she watched awkwardly, allowing some of that sadness and dejection that plagued Mariku all day to show on her face.

"Mariku…" She started, her voice quiet enough that he had trouble hearing it. However, as soon as his name passed her lips, she fell silent again, waiting until he brought himself to look up at her before she continued. "This isn't forever. You know that, right?"

"Yeah. I get it." He hummed, hearing Bakura and Rishid talking to each other in the background. Without the suitcase to rest her hand on, Ishizu instead crossed them in front of her, keeping that air of calm and collected while Mariku was tearing himself up from the inside, running a hand through his hair with a deep sigh escaping his throat. "Is Malik alright?"

"Yes, he's… chosen to stay home though. You know how much he looks up to you, it'll be a hard time for him to get used to you not being home. For all of us."

That hurt. Mariku couldn't help the feeling of his heart being punched right through his chest, hiding behind an faint scowl on his face so that his sister didn't see how crestfallen he had felt. Instead, he focused on looking through the small pocket on the front of his suitcase, hearing a familiar rattling sound when his fingers brushed against something smooth, pulling it out and staring down with his frown deepening. It was his medication, the same worn label staring back at him before his hand tightened around them. How he wanted to open them and pour the little pills down the sink, to be done with them, but they were also the only thing between him and constant episodes that would push everyone away from him. He didn't want to be alone, but he didn't want to be constantly drugged up just to function properly. Unable to stomach looking back at them, he shoved them back into the small pocket of his suitcase and stood up, hearing Ishizu carry on. "How was today at school? I haven't been able to ask before."

"I didn't get into trouble, if that's what you're asking." He snapped accusingly, causing Ishizu to frown back at him.

"That's not what I'm asking." She replied coolly, narrowing her eyes in frustration before she managed to control herself. "Malik told me that you have apologised to Solomon Mutou and his grandsons?"

"I tried, but Atem doesn't wanna know."

"It'll take some time, but at least you've started the path to forgiveness. Soon enough, your actions will be the one to prove your willingness to change, rather than your words." While Mariku would've prefered the advice in a less spiritual preachy way, he was grateful to his sister for comforting him, nodding slowly in response. Turning to look over her shoulder, she turned her attention back to her younger brother, adding in a soft tone. "I should really be going. I have an important meeting tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, okay." Mariku muttered, following after Ishizu as the both of them exited the kitchen, dragging his heavy suitcase with him to put upstairs after his siblings left. Rishid stood in the hallway with Bakura, the latter holding a smaller bag that was passed to him, and kept quietly discussing something before they noticed the others approaching them. Keeping quiet, Bakura moved out of the way, allowing Mariku to talk to Rishid before they left.

"I hope you've settled down, Mariku." Rishid asked, looking over to the younger brother as he nodded slowly. With his face pulled stern, he turned to Ishizu as the grown woman stopped beside him, calmly asking her. "Shall we go home now?"

"Yes. I'll see you at the meeting on Friday, Mariku." She revealed, waiting for her brother to reply. Mariku had enough, turning his head away with his arms crossed over his chest, just wanting everyone to leave him alone. Bakura watched silently, glancing between everyone else in the group as silence fell over them. Eventually, Ishizu got the hint and added sadly. "Goodnight, Mariku."

No response came from him. Standing there, listening as the footsteps and the closing of the door signalled that they had left, he finally relented in his stubbornness and grabbed his suitcase, keeping quiet as Bakura led him upstairs with his smaller bag in hand. "Here, I'll show you where you can sleep."

Neither of them brought up the awkward conversation that took place just then. Staring blankly ahead, Mariku ignored the worried stares he received from Ryou and Amane, the younger siblings having left their rooms at the sound of the front door closing and stayed in the hallway. Opening the door just off the top of the stairs, Bakura went into the bedroom first, slowly followed in by Mariku as he dragged his suitcase in, before dumping it in the corner. Everything felt numb. Placing the smaller bag on the bed, Bakura explained something, and yet Mariku was too far out of it to pay any attention to the words being thrown at him, with his friend realising this after saying a few sentences. With a defeated look, he let the words die and instead mumbled. "I'll just leave you alone to get unpacked."

With that, he walked back out of the bedroom and closed the door, leaving Mariku alone to unpack his things. Trudging over to the double bed, he collapsed face first into it, letting out a deep sigh of frustration. Unmoving from where he was lying down, he moved his head to the side so that he could breathe, staring at some photographs that Bakura's father had put on the nightstand. He just wanted to go home.


	5. Markings of An Ishtar

If there was anything that Mariku wanted to destroy off the face of the planet, it was homework. He sat there in the middle of his temporary room, papers and mock tests surrounding him messily as he held up his biology homework, staring at the multitude of questions and diagrams that made his head hurt. It started off as an annoyance, but as the couple of hours passed after he finished school, it was growing more and more into a migraine, thudding harshly behind his eyes while they strained to make sense of the questions. The topic that they had been studying lately was the systems within the body, and some of the words confused Mariku to no end. What the fuck was an endocrine system?

The diagrams did little to help either. Complicated pictures of organs in the human body, some of which Mariku didn't even know existed before then. Sitting there, he had a newfound respect for Malik, his younger brother able to breeze through his homework with ease, while Mariku was stumped on ones past the first page. Groaning in furstration, he leaned backwards until he practically collapsed to the floor, arms resting over his eyes to protect his already fragile organs from the blinding sun that was beaming through the open window, letting the fresh air into the stuffy room in hopes that it would revitalise his brain and help Mariku get this homework done for tomorrow's lesson. However, he didn't feel any brighter or more willing to get the work done, instead just lying on the floor, unmoving, with his arms moving from on top of his face. Staring up at the white ceiling, he listened quietly to the sounds going on in the city just outside his room.

Bakura had taken Ryou with him to do some grocery shopping, having started to run low on food coming towards the end of the week. Amane retreated to her room, doing whatever it was that teenage girls did, leaving Mariku on his own to get some work done. Even though he was having troubles with his science homework, he'd already finished the homework assigned to him for Japanese. Even after their awkward first encounter, Mrs Yamamoto was quick to climb up the list of Mariku's favourite teachers, though the list was pretty short to begin with. Having only been in Japan going onto five years, he had trouble learning the language and was always behind on his classes because of it. People would watch his failed attempts and make fun of him, so they couldn't do that if he didn't bother to come in. Stubbornness was a helluva motivator though, as he learned more from his more fluent siblings to prove his bullies wrong, and can now hold a decent conversation with his native friends.

Recalling back to when he first started school, at just twelve years old, he remembered that Bakura was the same way, having come back to Japan after spending some time in England with his mother's family. The two stuck together the moment they met, if you asked Mariku to recall the memory. Though, the real fact that he tried to hide was that Bakura couldn't stand being near him when they first met, especially since his anger issues were far worse when he entered puberty than they were now. Chuckling at the memory of Bakura first hanging around him, Mariku heard his phone vibrating loudly, tilting his head back until he saw the night stand that he left the phone on top of. Rolling to his front, he pushed himself off the ground to his knees, plucking the phone off and staring down at the lit up screen, noticing Malik's name above the buttons to accept or reject the call.

Accepting the call, he held the phone to the side of his face and asked. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. Just wanted to see what you were up to." Malik's voice crackled on the other side.

"Doing some of this homework for tomorrow." There was a short pause after that. Sitting cross legged by the night stand, Mariku waited for any sort of response before breaking the silence himself. "You sure there's nothing up?"

"Huh? Y-Yeah, everything's fine." The stammer in Malik's voice caused Mariku to raise an eyebrow, not buying into the obvious lie that his brother tried to give him.

Pressing his back into the wooden stand, he stared down at the abandoned papers left in his spot, unmoving from his spot as he pointed out with a smirk, trying to stop the worry over where the conversation was going from ruining his mood completely. "Okay, well tell your voice that."

A long pause came after that, so much so that Mariku actually thought that Malik had hung up on him at one point. Eventually though, he heard a soft sigh on the other end of the phone as the younger twin spoke up once more. "It's been pretty quiet ever since you left. Ishizu won't say anything, but she misses you a lot. We all do."

The words caused Mariku's chest to tighten painfully. He couldn't breathe properly, his lungs trying hard to push out the air that was trapped within, wilting away before he finally managed to exhale all at once. Knees moved up until they pressed into his chest, his free arm resting on top of them while he tried to think of a response. Spending a couple of days in Bakura's already, his sore feelings had started to disappear slightly, yet they were still there if he looked hard enough, festering into something worse. While his rational side tried to tell him it was for the best, that it wasn't a permanent solution, it was quietly being pushed aside by the fears laying dormant deep within him. Everyone was abandoning him, they would whisper in his ear and mock in his dreams. No one believed that he would actually change. Like the old saying he heard, a leopard never truly changes its spots.

He must had been silent for some time while battling his inner thoughts, as Malik piped up worryingly. "You still there, Mariku?"

"Yeah, I'm still here." He replied. His smirk had completely gone, rather leaving a frown permanently stuck to his face, even affecting his voice as he muttered the response grimly.

Malik immediately picked up in his change of tone. He always did, even when they were children he knew when something was really bothering Mariku, even when he had tried hiding it behind troublesome behaviour or humorous quips, and right then wasn't any different either. Hoping that he wouldn't bring it up, Mariku cursed his rotten luck when Malik sighed. "I know that you've been improving a lot this week, but I can't stop worrying about the meeting with the principle tomorrow. How're you holding up?"

"Better before you brought it up."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I know that, right now, it's probably the last thing you want to think about but look at it this way. They ain't gonna ignore the fact that you've been behaving yourself this week." He sounded hopeful. Mariku didn't share his sentiment, but it was helpful hearing that optimistic tone while he was sitting in the room alone. A faint smile pulled at his lips, listening as Malik continued to try to cheer him up. "Rishid's birthday is coming up soon. Ishizu was planning a family dinner for him."

"I just hope she's not cooking. Pretty sure she was the one who gave me food poisoning last time." Mariku pointed out, feeling better when he heard Malik try to stop his laughing on the other end of the call.

"Actually…" He started, trailing off for a moment before he finished in a humoured tone. "That was me."

"Right, well I'm not eating any food you give me again." Mariku replied dryly. Malik chuckled at that, before the conversation moved on to other topics. Sitting on the floor for hours, Mariku had pretty much lost all feeling in his legs and behind, stretching them out in a vain attempt to get the sensation back before he would even attempt to stand up again. Pins and needles plagued him, the horrible feeling growing worse whenever he tried to put his foot down flat against the floor. Malik droned on in his ear as he shuffled back to his homework, giving background noise that somehow helped him work better with his homework. It didn't hurt having him help Mariku understand the Biology homework either.

However, the good times didn't last long with Malik piping up that he would have to hang up, having chores to do before Ishizu and Rishid came home for dinner. Mariku didn't want him to go, though he would never openly admit it, and instead muttered his goodbyes as the phone call went dead. Staring down at his screen, he realised that it was almost gone past six in the afternoon, wondering where Bakura had gone off too. Almost on cue, his bedroom door opened slowly, alerting the teenager as he glanced up from his mock exam. Pale face peeking through the barely open door, it was Amane standing there, having finally left her bedroom and gone to see what Mariku was doing. Sitting there, he said nothing as she adjusted her headband, seemingly nervous about something, and yet kept quiet and stood in the doorway instead. Eventually, he asked in an annoyed tone. "What?"

"Sorry, I was just going out to the park for a walk and I was wondering… if you wanted to come with me? Just to have a break from all that homework." Mariku raised an eyebrow at that, noticing that Amane didn't want to come into the bedroom and rather lurked around the doorframe. Considering he was sitting in the same spot for hours, a break would be gladly welcomed for him, so he closed the nearly finished mock exam and left his work in a pile on the floor, getting up to his feet slowly while his bones ached in protestation at the sudden movement.

"Sure, I could go for a break right about now." He agreed. Amane smiled brightly at that, waiting patiently as Mariku brushed himself off, pushing out the wrinkles in his school shirt with his hands, before approaching her with one hand rubbing his eye tiredly. "You ready to head out, then?"

"Oh, yeah. Come on." She replied, moving back from the doorway and allowed Mariku to walk through before they both made their way down the stairs. Leaving his jacket hung up on the hook, he did slide his hand into the pocket and take his wallet, unsure if he'd need it but wanting to be sure, and went on to put his shoes on while Amane grabbed a thin denim jacket. Unlike Mariku, she actually bothered to change out of her school uniform the moment she got back home, having slipped into a pair of shorts that reached just above her knees, throwing her jacket over a long sleeved shirt that exposed her shoulders. He noticed a few cute buttons that she had pinned on the collar, including a tiny lemon.

"You going out in your uniform?" She suddenly asked, looking him up and down before adding quickly. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with that! I just thought you prefered to wear casual clothes outside of school."

"I don't really care. It's just clothes." Mariku grunted in response, shoving his wallet in his pants pocket while going out the front door. Amane said nothing to that, having to quicken her step to keep up with Mariku's longer strides, following him out of the door and out the gate until they were on the street walking towards the park nearby. When he noticed that she was having difficulty keeping up, he silently slowed his pace up and watched over her, allowing a small smile to lift his lips when he saw her walking more comfortably with a bright glow to her face.

After work hours, the road had grown less cluttered with cars as well as quieter, horns blaring and shouting ringing in Mariku's ears missing as he crossed the street with Amane in hand. WIth school out of the way and Friday nearly upon them, more of the students were out in the streets enjoying their free time with their friends, passing the duo by with some looks and whispers, most of them wondering why Bakura's little sister was hanging around with someone like Mariku. She ignored them, rather enjoying her time with Mariku judging by how her warm smile hadn't left her face yet. He wouldn't lie. He was enjoying her company as well, and the fresh air didn't hurt given his hours stuck in lessons and then in his bedroom trying to finish his impossible homework. The feeling of the late afternoon breeze on his skin was fantastic, his tattooed arm raising to ruffle the hair on the back of his head.

Compared to the awkward silence that he was often subjected to with other people, he couldn't feel that same suffocating sensation while he walked along the clean pavement with Amane, rather silently agreeing with her to keep quiet and just enjoy the city around them. Trees loomed over them in sectioned square plots of dirt, each one of them an equal distance away from the next one, with their branches full of leaves providing shade from the scorching sun on some days, though the sun wasn't as boiling as it was in the middle of the day. Few of the stores had stayed open past the usual closing down, only the late takeout places staying open for those who worked the more unusual hours and wanted to get something to eat, as well as late partygoers that would no doubt be pouring out of their homes later on tonight. At least Mariku would be inside when that happened.

Finally, the gate leading into the wide spaces of fields and trees came into view. Two huge black gates with one half left open so that the public could go in and out, the top adorned with golden spirals and spikes that warn off people trying to climb over to get inside. The fence stretched as far as Mariku could see, showing off the same designs and spikes to deter intruders, though he ignored the visual warnings when he and Amane entered through the gate, walking along a path that split off into three different directions. He didn't know which way to go first, knowing that eventually they'd just end up back at this spot, so followed after Amane as she took the path veering off to the left. In the distance, he could hear loud laughter and children playing, shouting and screams of delight causing him to frown deeply, hating the fenced off area that had many playground interactions for the children to enjoy.

Passing a bunch of trees that blocked their view, the path bend around a small island of green grass, and in front of them was the playground. It was pretty much split off into two sections, with the more younger children and toddlers enjoying the smaller, simpler rides while teenagers hung around the swing and a weird swinging ride. A round platform that was shaped similar to a bowl, made entirely of twisted, thick rope of different colours and attached to the top of the metal frame by four chains, allowing it to swing around freely rather than the back and forth of normal swings. Some younger teenagers had already taken up the ride, looking around Amane's age while they sat on the swing set and laughed as some of the guys in the group pushed them around wildly. At one point, Mariku was certain they were trying to get the swing over the frame it was attached to, though they never quite succeeded and rather nearly sent their friends flying off.

"Oh, it's my friends!" Amane revealed, chippier to have found her friend group in the park. Mariku stifled a groan, unwilling to interact with energetic teens that were trying to see who could kill themselves doing stupid stunts, even though he was the exact same when he was their age. In fact, he was worse. So, he said nothing as Amane pushed the gate open to get into the fenced off playground, making a beeline straight for her group while Mariku sorta hung back near the benches that the parents sat down on while watching their children play.

Sitting down with his legs spread apart, he leaned against his thighs and watched as Amane chatted away with her friends, trying to keep his scowl from appearing when they turned to look over at him. Some were wary of him, keeping an eye on him at a distance while Amane no doubt stuck up for him, explaining to her group for a while before they looked at each other, turning back to the shorter girl and nodding slowly. With that, she turned around and, having noticed that Mariku wasn't by her, jogged over to the bench where he made himself comfortable. His stomach twisted painfully when she reached him, asking him gently. "The others are happy if you wanna join us?"

"No thanks. You can go on, but I feel better just sitting here. No offense to your friends or nothing."

She frowned at that, brushing a hair behind her ear nervously while glancing away for a moment. It was growing awkward again. Mariku didn't say anything, however, instead listening as she quietly asked again. "You sure? They're not horrible or anything, and I don't wanna just leave you alone after asking you to come with me."

God, was she persistent. Still, Mariku found that more times than not, he couldn't say no to those pleading, doe like eyes that stared down at him, and sighed quietly. Standing up, he nodded silently, feeling that nervousness fade away slightly when the beaming grin returned to Amane's face, though he had to stop himself from tripping over his own two feet as she practically dragged him over to her friends. Some of the girls were still sitting in the rope bowl, watching with soft smiles and praises as Mariku approached them, while the guys kept quiet. He couldn't remember clearly, but he was pretty sure one of them was the kid that he nearly launched when he bumped into Mariku in the hallway. Great. Standing there quietly, he listened as Amane explained to him. "You can push with Kaito. Lemme get in first, though."

One of the boys helped her into the bowl to join the girls, all of them giggling to each other while the boy who helped her jumped up, standing on the edge of the rope bowl while holding onto the chains, preventing himself from being launched off once Kaito and Mariku started pushing. Both of them grabbing onto opposite sides of the bowl, Mariku started to push forward, his superior strength causing Kaito to move with the motion of the ride and jog backwards, practically hanging off with his feet dangling above the ground when Mariku pushed the bowl as far as it would go. Arms strained with the weight of the ride and the people on it, Mariku unable to hold it up like that for long as the force started pushing against him, the ride swinging around like a pendulum with Kaito starting to push back when his feet were back on the ground.

He was strong. Way stronger than Mariku thought, surprised to find himself up in the air with his feet kicking about, unable to find solid ground underneath them as his grip tightened instinctively on the rim around the rope basket. The teenagers inside the basket laughed loudly, one of the girls calling out to the boy standing up. "Be careful, Haru!"

The boy, Haru apparently, smiled bashfully as he gripped the chains, trying to keep his feet planted on the basket and not flailing in the air. The group carried on having fun on the ride, Mariku still able to lift the basket with Kaito hanging on the other end in the air, twirling it around with the girls laughing loudly. When he noticed Amane gripping on with a bright smile on her face, he couldn't help but return it, finding himself letting his guards down the more he and the group continued to play about. He even allowed Kaito a turn in pushing the basket around, hanging on with his feet dangling about a couple of feet off the ground. Eventually, Haru jumped off the basket and took over Mariku's spot, letting the older teen jump up on the basket before he and Kaito went to pushing it about wildly.

The chains dug into his hands uncomfortably, the bandages at least protecting his healing hand from the discomfort, and while they spun around, he couldn't stop the nausea from getting to him. Stomach churning, he closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the basket continue spinning and spinning with the group ecstatic with the fun. Thankfully, some of the other girls were getting too ill with the thing, shouting at Kaito and Haru. "Stop! I'm gonna be sick!"

They listened, digging their feet into the ground and gripping on the basket as hard as they could. Mariku lurched forward with the basket stopping suddenly, nearly collapsing on the teenage girls underneath him before he managed to stop himself. The world was spinning so badly. Jumping down, he had to hold the basket for a moment, trying to play off his dizziness as the younger boys helped their friends out of the basket, Haru letting Amane to hold onto him as she nearly toppled over from dizziness. Despite the ill feeling in Mariku's stomach, it was actually pretty fun hanging around with Amane and her friends, following them silently as one of her female friends suggested. "Come on, let's go sit over there."

The spot she picked was a grassy area under a large oak tree, its branches spreading out far with a blanket of shade underneath that kept the grass protected from rain and from the sun's heat. Mariku wished he had his jacket with him, sitting down in the dirt with one of his knees propped up and his arm resting on top of it. The others sat to the side of him, talking about their school day and what they were planning on the weekend, though Mariku didn't bother to listen much considering it didn't concern him. Amane was deep in the conversation, talking about something to do with England, and her friends were surprised to hear it. Deep within his own thoughts, Mariku didn't catch what she said, but he did hear one of her friends ask him. "So, Mariku, where's you from?"

He stared over at her silently, watching as the girl added quickly with a smile. "I was born in South Korea, but my family moved here when I was still a baby."

"...Egypt."

"Wow! That's pretty far away." The girl constantly questioning him gasped, the movement of her head causing her high ponytail to swish about, deep red strands moving about. Long fingers pointed to just underneath those piercing blue eyes. "I love your eye mark thingies."

Memories flooded back. Painful ones that made his hands clench together and his face turn sour, his mind trying to push them away again, protect him from the past, but it was too late. Echoes from the past haunted him, a young voice begging to be spared from the marks that identified him as an Ishtar. His father had them, his mother had them, everyone in his family. Rishid was rejected the markings. He wasn't an Ishtar, but Mariku was, and his face ached at the thought of the painful ritual that came when he was given the markings. Everything felt small, claustrophobic again, he couldn't breathe. Without uttering a word, he got to his feet and stormed off, ignoring the calls from the group about where he was going, what was wrong. Amane was quick to follow after him, uttering something to her friends before trying to keep up with him.

"Mariku, wait up!" He didn't slow down that time. He wanted to go home, to hide in his bedroom until the painful feelings went away. Everything felt dizzy. Unsure where he was, he finally relented and sat down on a lone bench, holding his head in his hands while hearing the footsteps of the younger teen girl chasing after him slowing down, until the sound disappeared altogether. Unmoving, he continued to sit there while Amane softly asked him. "Are you alright? You just ran off…"

No reply. Mariku kept silent, listening out as he felt Amane's presence next to him, staring into the palms of his hands as he pushed them into his eyes, unrelenting until he saw stars in his vision and the aching of the pressure in his eye sockets. Only when it became unbearable did he relent, lifting his head up from his hands and just settled on staring down at the concrete path under his feet. Amane was nervous, he could tell by the way she messed with the end of her long hair, twisting the strands in her hands while unable to look him in the eye anymore. After a while of sitting there in silence, she finally piped up. "Aiko wasn't trying to be mean. She really does like the way you did your makeup."

"It's not makeup."

That stunned Amane. Her nervous smile completely disappeared, rather leaving a puzzled look on her face as she muttered. "Huh?"

Slowly, he turned his head to face her, the pain and hatred that were bubbling up from his memories showing in his narrowed eyes, and brought a hand up to the markings under his eyes. Rubbing them roughly, he pulled it away and showed the lack of make up on his palm to Amane. She didn't know what to say, trying to work out what he was trying to tell her before he explained. "It's not makeup. They're tattoos."

"I… Did you do them? L-Like on your arm?" That made Mariku's eyes narrow further. His brain tried to step in, telling him that it wasn't Amane's fault, she had nothing to do with the past, but the anger at the thought of inflicting that sort of pain and trauma on himself caused his teeth to grit together.

"No, I didn't fucking do them." He growled harshly, standing up as he finally snapped. "My father did them to me! The old, miserable bastard sat me down when I was just ten years old and told me how much of an honour it was to be an Ishtar, how our fucking family went back for millennia!"

Amane kept quiet, offering a listening ear while still being afraid of Mariku's volatile temper. He didn't notice her hands tightening into fists on her knees, his back to her as he continued to a colder tone. "It hurt. It hurt like shit, and I did everything I could to get out of it. My father took it as an insult to our family history. He went through the pain for the family, so obviously I should've sat there and shut up… like Ishizu and Malik did."

"What about Rishid?" Amane asked. "Was he like you when he got his?"

A bitter chuckle came from Mariku, his hands holding onto the back of his head as he revealed. "No. Rishid never got his, not legitimately anyway… According to my father, only true Ishtars had the markings. Rishid wasn't born into our family. So, he was passed over."

"Then, how did he get them?"

"...He tattooed them on himself." Turning around just in time to see Amane's shocked face, he added in a saddened tone. "The old man didn't like that. According to him, Rishid was and always will be just a wretch they picked off the street. My mother would've accepted him… she wouldn't have let me go through that."

"You never talked about her."

"What's there to talk about her? She died when Malik and I were born. Ishizu and Rishid always talked about her when we were younger, about how kind and gentle she was, how it was her who adopted Rishid as her own." Mariku reminisced, feeling that pange of agony in his heart as he sat down beside Amane again. "The worst thing is that I never miss her like they do. I never knew her, never got to see her smile or hear her words. I don't even know if you can miss something you never had to begin with."

Amane appeared thoughtful when Mariku's words died down. He said all he wanted to say, wondering whether it was a good idea to spill to Amane. No one knew much about his past, not even Bakura really, so why was it this teenage girl that managed to get him to confess more than he did to anyone else?

From beside him, he heard her quietly confess. "I know how you feel. I lost my mother a long time ago too."

That piqued Mariku's interest. He only knew bits and pieces from Bakura, though he wasn't willing to talk much about the past, similar to how Mariku was with his own he guessed. Sitting beside her, he noticed how her hands tightened on top of her knees, watching with the anger and hurt on his face molding into something different. Concern. Finally, she recalled the past. "I knew my mother. I guess it's more than what you can, so no, I don't know how you feel in that sense but… I know what it's like to be missing something that many other people take for granted."

She paused, one of her hands ghosting over the pins that she had attached to her jacket. "Did Bakura ever talk to you about her?"

"No. Not much, anyway."

"It doesn't surprise me. He spent the most time with her, being the oldest, and I guess… it's just his way to handle the pain sometimes. Forgetting people, you know?" There was a hint of sadness in her voice that Mariku picked up. She sounded concerned with her older brother, but also with some cold acceptance that Bakura would've acted that way to anyone he loved who had died. "He didn't tell you the story, did he?"

A shake of his head was the only response Mariku gave, listening as Amane revealed in a low tone. "I really liked to dance. Went to this after school thing where I could learn with other people, and my mother loved it. She was happy to see me doing something I loved. One day we were driving home, and I guess someone wasn't paying much attention. We crashed… Mother died at the scene and I lost my leg. I was about eight when it happened."

"Shit…" Mariku muttered, looking away from Amane as silence fell between them. For someone so young to grow through that much trauma, he was surprised she didn't go off the deep end like he had.

In a cherrier tone, she continued, trying to lift Mariku's spirits by pointing to the pins on her her jacket. "We collected these pins when I was younger. This one was her favourite."

It was the small lemon pin that she was pointing to, Mariku staring at it silently before he noticed her undoing it. Confused, he didn't move until he felt her grab his hand, letting her to turn it around with his hand open, though he wasn't sure what she was trying to do until he saw her drop the pin in his hand and close it up to stop him from losing it. Letting his hand go, she sat there while he stared down at the pin, eyes wide in surprise as his fingers picked it up from his palm, turning it around so he could get a good look at it. From beside him, he heard Amane point out. "That one was a favourite of hers. You said you never really knew your mother, so maybe you'd appreciate having something from a mom, even if she wasn't your own."

"You don't have to give me this." Mariku muttered, moving his hand to give it back. "Don't you want something to remember her by?"

"I don't need a little pin to remember my mother. I have memories to look back on, but you don't even have that." She explained, pushing his hand away with a warm smile on her face. "Keep it. I want you to have it."

Mariku was stunned. Any words that he might had wanted to say died in his throat as he just sat there, staring at the younger teen before slowly turning his gaze downwards, holding his hand in front of his body while staring at the tiny pin in silence. It was a nice gesture from Amane, and he honestly didn't know what to say or do to show her that he was grateful for her kindness. Instead, he lifted the pin to the collar of his school shirt and poked the small needle on the back through, attaching it to the collar before moving his hands away. School dress code wouldn't appreciate any deviance, but then again he wasn't one to follow the rules much was he?

"It looks good on you." Amane complimented him. Mariku couldn't stop that small smile from pulling at his lips, staring at her before she stood up from the bench, stretching her arms out while glancing up at the sky. "We should start getting home. It's gonna be dark soon, and no doubt Bakura's back with the groceries."

Looking up at the sky as well, he noticed that the sun had already mostly gone from the sky, with the once bright colours of dusk giving away to the darkness of night. Amane waited until he got to his feet before they started walking back towards the gate leading out of the park. Her group of friends had disappeared, likely having gone either home or somewhere else after Mariku stormed off, and he almost felt bad for Aiko. An innocent question on her part, but he couldn't help but wish that he wouldn't have to hang around with the younger teens anymore. Amane was obviously close to them, and they seemed like good enough people, but he didn't want to face the fact that, outside of Bakura and his family, no one was really willing to put up with his temper.

The street lamps had come on already, shining light onto the otherwise dark street while the duo walked down back towards the street they lived on. Despite it being a somewhat posh area of the city, Mariku couldn't help but be on his guard when the sun had gone behind the horizon, knowing that people of more unsavoury natures came out at night. That was including him before this whole trying to change thing. The few alleyways that they passed were nerve-wrecking for Mariku, the taller teen keeping Amane close to him as he eyed up the smaller side roads with narrow eyes. Only a few people were visible in the alleyways, and they didn't bother Amane with Mariku glaring down at them, though he didn't want to push his luck as he pushed her and himself to get home quicker. At least the problem wasn't as bad as it was around where he lived, and especially the home they lived in when they first came to Japan.

In all honesty, it was a shit hole. There was no way Mariku could sugarcoat his living conditions when his family first came to the country. Rishid, as the oldest, was the only one who could get a job, just twenty years old while Ishizu was still in school. The money was stretched incredibly over those few years, with Rishid working himself almost to death just to put food on the table and make sure that Ishizu was able to go on to work in the museum. Mariku frowned as he recalled first meeting the people that he would later run with, some of them older than he was at fourteen years of age, having lived in Japan for two years prior to that. Thankfully, none of those familiar faces were lurking in the darkness around him, considering it had been over a year since he left the gang.

Finally, they reached their home street. Cars parked up along the pavement that they walked down, their owners having come home after long days at work, with Mariku eyeing up a beautiful looking one that was parked not far from Bakura's house. With sleek, polished bodywork coated in a striking black paint job, he paused in his walking to stare at it. Even if he worked for the rest of his life, he doubted he'd be able to afford it, and instead had to settle for just looking at one. The person who owned it was a lucky bastard, indeed. The car couldn't fit more than two people, however, with no back seats visible from where he was standing. Amane finally noticed that he had stopped, turning around and calling out to him. "You coming, Mariku?"

"Huh? Yeah, hold up." He mumbled, turning to start walking towards his friend. With the beautiful car behind him, he shoved his hands in his pockets instead, keeping them warm from the falling temperature around him. Amane didn't notice his staring, or if she did, she didn't say anything about it, rather smiling to herself and walking alongside him.

The warmth of the inside of their home was welcome on Mariku's chilled skin, his hands moving out of his pockets to rub his arms in an attempt to get the warmth back to them. Closing the door behind him, he walked past Amane as she shedded her jacket, hanging it up on the coat hooks while Mariku went straight into the living room. Bakura had definitely come home while they were gone, the eldest sibling sitting on the couch with the laptop in front of him. Ryou was beside him, talking to whoever it was on the screen with a bright smile on his face. Bakura, however, looked like he was ready to blow up until he saw Mariku standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with a raised eyebrow. The scowl on his face faded, almost like he was thinking about what to do before a deep voice called out from the screen. "Bakura? Who's there?"

Mariku recognised that voice anywhere. Bakura's father was on the other side of the video call, confused as to what was going on that diverted his eldest son's attention away, and standing there, Mariku thought about whether to walk out and let the family continue their conversation, or show his face even though the older man's distaste of Mariku wasn't exactly a well kept secret. Bakura shook his head faintly, before turning his attention back to his father. "No one, father. It's just Amane coming home from hanging out with her friends."

Almost as if she was summoned, Amane had poked her head around the door, peeking into the living room while her father happily replied. "Oh, is she coming in? I'd like to see her before I have to go."

Bakura was silent. Once again, he looked over to Mariku and Amane, not pushing on the matter as he quietly waited for Amane's response. Mariku thought she'd have been happy to see her father, especially with the two of them separated for so long due to the latter's work taking him away from his children, but much to his surprise, Amane shook her head with an angered scowl on her face before walking off, quickly going up the stairs to her bedroom. Surprised, he quietly turned to Bakura, watching as he frowned sadly and turned back to his father. "It's not a good time right now. She's still pretty angry over you having to leave us."

"Ah… I understand." Even though he couldn't stand the man, Mariku couldn't help but feel sympathetic at the saddened tone in the grown man's voice before he added, almost trying to convince Bakura and himself. "Don't worry, Bakura. I'm sure I'll be home in time for your birthday."

"Don't promise things you aren't certain you'll keep." Bakura shot back, standing up and quickly saying his goodbyes to his father while his hand hovered over the mouse. "I have to go now."

"Bye, father." Ryou interjected sadly, watching as Bakura ended the video call. Mariku stood there awkwardly, watching the brothers as they tried to move on from the emotionally draining conversation. Bakura kept a brave face on, saying nothing to any of them as he retreated into the kitchen, likely starting dinner, all while Ryou sat there on the couch. Leaving the older brother to distract himself with cooking, Mariku instead focused on Ryou as he entered the living room, plonking himself on the couch beside the younger teen with a deep sigh, leaning his head against the wall behind him.

Ryou said nothing. Rather, he looked like he was deep in thought about something, his lower face buried into his hand while he stared blankly in the distance, not particularly focusing on anything in the room. Mariku didn't want to say anything, unwilling to interrupt the other's thoughts as it seemed like he really needed to think things through, rather just sitting there with his legs spread out slightly, his hands resting in his lap. Listening to the sounds of pots clattering and the food cooking away, his stomach rumbling at the thought of dinner after being denied something to eat for hours. One of his hands moved to press into his abdomen through his shirt, trying to stop the painful gurgling as he sat there, feeling the silence starting to get to him as he finally broke it with a sigh. "You doing alright, cream puff?"

"Yeah." He answered quickly, almost too quickly for Mariku to actually believe him. Staring at him, he said nothing as Ryou added in a quieter tone. "I'm just worried about Amane."

"Yeah, I noticed she wasn't exactly thrilled with her dad. What's up with that?"

"Ever since father left for Egypt, Amane's been having trouble coping. A couple of days ago we talked with him… and he said that he might not be home on time because of delays in his excavation." Ryou explained. That made Amane's reaction before more clear to Mariku as he sat there, offering a listening ear to Ryou as the teenage boy confessed. "I understand that this is his work, but I wish he was home right now."

"It'll be okay, Ryou. It's alright to be pissed about him not being here all the time. Hell, I'd have been worse if he was my father." Mariku confessed, throwing an arm over his face so that the light from the living room ceiling was blocked from his eyes. Ryou laughed softly at that, the sound coming from the younger teen causing Mariku's smile to grow into a grin, flashing his white teeth as he sat there.

Quieting down, he wondered whether Ryou had started playing his game again, proven wrong quickly as he heard his voice to the side of him pointing out. "That's Amane's pin."

Removing his arm, Mariku didn't understand what Ryou was going on about for a moment, before he looked down at the collar of his shirt, spotting the small yellow lemon pinned there for all to see as Ryou carried on. "It's her favourite one."

"Yeah, she, uh… she let me have it."

"That's strange. She's usually so protective over her things." That made Mariku think. Staring up at the ceiling silently, he must had worried Ryou with the serious look on his face, hearing him try to cheer him up by blurting out. "Well, she's always like you, Mariku! So, I'm sure she wanted you to have that!"

"She's an alright kid. Both of you are." Mariku confessed, turning his head to see Ryou sitting there with a stunned look, his already huge eyes widening more at the praise he was given. It didn't surprise Mariku, given his usual asshole behaviour and attitude to people, but he did mean it. Hell, he only really felt that way to Malik before, especially with his behaviour driving him and Ishizu apart over the few years. With his grin falling into a more genuine smile, he ruffled the top of Ryou's head, chuckling at the annoyed look he got for ruining his hair. Before he could settle back down again, he heard footsteps coming from the kitchen, turning his head to see that Bakura was standing in the doorway.

Holding a wooden spoon in hand, he leaned against the archway between the two rooms, staring down at the others sitting there on the couch before explaining. "Dinner is nearly done. Ryou, can you go and tell Amane to come back downstairs?"

"Okay." The younger brother obeyed, standing up from the couch and leaving the living room to go and find their sister.

Mariku watched him go, waiting until he heard footsteps upstairs before he went on to address Bakura. "You doing alright?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about me, I'm fine." Mariku wasn't so sure given to the fatigued look in Bakura's eyes, his gaze falling momentarily before he hide it all away behind a steel exterior, those brown eyes narrowing as he noticed Mariku's unsure face. Before he could say anything, Bakura cut him off with a quick shut down. "I'm fine. Just leave it, Mariku."

With that, he turned around and walked back into the kitchen with a quick excuse to leave the obviously uncomfortable conversation. "I'm gonna keep an eye on dinner."

So, Mariku was left alone, sitting there unmoving from his spot on the couch as he turned his attention to the laptop that was left on the coffee table in front of him. Still open, he could see the background picture from where he sat, knowing it was Bakura's computer given that the background was of him and Ryou when they were only toddlers. Ryou still had those big eyes from back then, though his face had thinned out ever since puberty hit him and he lost pretty much all of his baby fat, resulting in a lanky teen who looked like he wasn't able to lift up a cardboard box let alone any weights. Bakura on the other hand still had those narrowed eyes, looking like he was offended by something whoever took the photo did, though he too lost most of his pudginess when he grew up. Unlike Ryou, Bakura had actually developed some muscle during puberty, though not enough to rival Mariku's, who had made a point of going to the gym every week to keep up his physique.

He remembered asking Bakura once to come with him. Fifteen minutes of curse words and sweating later, he had to help his friend sit down with a pulled hamstring and a nearly destroyed treadmill. After that, Mariku had to work out alone.

Footsteps walking back down the stairs alerted Mariku to the other siblings coming down for dinner, looking away from the laptop screen and instead turning the TV on, watching some weird game show when he was joined by Ryou and Amane. The teenage girl said nothing about Mariku's choice of show, rather throwing herself down on the free space next to him and watching the show with him. Ryou sat down on the other side of Mariku, his game in hand and his headphones around his ears, allowing him to remain undistracted from the laughing and shouts that were coming from the TV. The whole situation was homely, Mariku feeling comfortable enough on the couch to relax further, waiting for dinner with a grumbling stomach reminding him constantly to feed it.

It wasn't long before Bakura called them for dinner, and the family, as well as Mariku, enjoyed the beautifully cooked food in peace, trying to put the thought of the missing father out of their minds for just one night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note on Mariku's eye markings: I decided to add in my headcanon of the markings on Mariku's, and his family's, faces as being some sort of marking of the family, considering it was no point in adding the back scars because the Ishtars aren't tomb keepers in this AU. With Mariku's father being very traditional and wanting his family legacy to move on, it isn't that far fetched for me that he would put Mariku and the others through having those markings tattooed on their faces when they turn ten.
> 
> Except Rishid. Though that didn't stop that boy


	6. The Principal's Office

The end of the school week had finally arrived. Mariku had woken up that morning to a text from Ishizu, reminding him about the meeting that he had with her and the principle at the end of the day, though her phrasing was less stern than what she usually sent him. With only a groan and a brief "okay" sent back, he dropped the phone back down on the night table in front of him and buried his face in the pillow, trying to argue with himself whether it was worth being late for an extra ten minutes or not. Considering that he had the meeting today, it probably wasn't wise to be purposely late just for extra sleep. So, with another groan coming from his voice, louder than before yet muffled by the pillow smothering his face, he tossed the duvet off his body and managed to swing one leg off the bed. Good start. Soon enough another leg lifted itself off the bed, Mariku pushing himself up from the bed with his hair wilder than normal.

A yawn came up from his throat, his mouth stretching wide as he grabbed a shirt that he left hanging on the bedpost, shoving his arms through while trudging over to the pants there were laid out on the other side of the double bed, almost hidden away by the duvet that had been doubled over when Mariku got he got fully dressed, he started buttoning up his school shirt while walking towards the suitcase that he had left propped up in the corner. Given that his stay in Bakura's was only temporary, the suitcase acted like his mini wardrobe, holding all his clothes and things needed to continue his school work. Shoving a hand in the front compartment, he pulled out his medication and tipped out a couple of pills, swallowing them dry with a grimace, staring down at the bottle with the horrible taste lingering at the back of his tongue.

Without much thought, he tossed it back into his open suitcase. Socks on his feet, phone in hand, he left the bedroom and made his way down the stairs, pausing when he heard giggling and chatter coming from the living room, peering over the bannister and catching a glimpse of Amane sitting on the couch. Quickly, he descended down the rest of the stairs and entered the living room. Both Amane and Ryou were already dressed in their uniform, ready to leave for school in a while.

"Oh, you're up!" Amane noticed, taking a bite out of her toast while watching the TV. Mariku nodded at that, too tired for words and instead went into the kitchen to fix himself up some breakfast, carrying on shoving bread in the toaster when he overhead Amane yell upstairs. "Bakura! Are you up yet? We gotta get to school soon!"

"He's been oversleeping a lot lately." Ryou pointed out, standing by the doorway as Mariku peeked into the living room. Slowly he approached Amane by the staircase, overtaking her as he sighed. "I'll go and wake him up."

Mariku would've offered, but Ryou was already up the stairs and gone from sight by the time the thought crossed his mind. So, he went back to making his breakfast, grabbing the toast when it was finally done and slathering it in butter, tossing the knife in the sink and the butter back in the fridge before taking his breakfast into the living room. Bakura wasn't around, so Mariku took the chance and flopped down onto the comfy armchair, swinging his long legs around as he started tucking in. Enjoying his breakfast, he noticed Ryou appearing once again, moving to pack his things into his school bag while revealing to Amane. "He's waking up now. We should be leaving in about ten minutes."

An annoyed groan nearly escaped. Given the impending meeting that was lurking at the back of his mind, he wanted the day to drag on as long as it could before he would have to go to the office that he hated with a passion. There was no getting out of it. Ryou was right, anyway, as Bakura had came downstairs after a few minutes, fully dress yet his hair more wild than usual, sticking out in all different directions similar to how Mariku styled his hair, though it didn't look like a fashion choice on Bakura's part. Chewing on a piece of toast, Mariku didn't move when Bakura came into the living room, and his friend didn't say anything about him sitting in his favourite chair, rather going to the mirror hanging over the fireplace and starting to make his hair more presentable.

Even though he looked like he was dragged through the hedge backwards, his new look had some domestic appeal about it, though that didn't stop Mariku chuckling when he watched Bakura getting annoyed with a bit of his hair that refused to stay where he wanted it to. His response didn't go unnoticed, Bakura sending him a glare that only made Mariku laugh deeper, unable to control himself over the lock of hair that dangled in front of Bakura's narrowed eyes. Though, he didn't say anything back, instead going back to fixing his hair while Mariku watched. The amusement got old fast. Rather, he was worried over how exhausted Bakura looked that morning. Huge, dark bags under his eyes, and his normally shiny white hair lackluster in appearance, rather looking dull and lifeless. There was something seriously wrong. Mariku could tell that much.

However, every look he gave was brushed off by his friend, who instead left his hair alone and packed up his work that was left sprawled across the table, shoving the books and homework into his school bag while stifling a yawn. Glancing at the clock beside him, he nearly choked on his toast at the time, having to get a move on before he'd end up late. That was all he'd need. Downing the rest of his toast, and trying not to choke in the process, he jumped up and rushed to get his stuff together, doing up the rest of his buttons in the process. Jacket on, shoes shoved on feet, he shoved his phone in his pocket with all his other belongings and picked up his school bag left by the front door, slinging it over his shoulder as he heard Bakura call out. "You ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Mariku sighed, keeping close to Bakura's side as the small group left the house for school.

Clouds were starting to form in the skies above, the usual blue that Mariku was used to seeing over this week disappearing behind grey, blotting out the sun and casting everything in duller colours. The threat of rain was hanging over the people walking the streets below, those that were hurrying along to work and school holding umbrellas just in case. Even Ryou had grabbed one to be careful, holding it in the crook of his arm as the group walked down the streets to school. Considering Bakura lived nearer to the school than Mariku did, it didn't take that long before he saw the school in the distance. Students poured in through the gates, Mariku glancing down at his phone to see that they were nearing the bell for lesson, following after Bakura and his siblings as they made their way to the front gates.

When they neared them, Mariku noticed a group of students standing nearby, seemingly like they were waiting for something, or someone. It was only when they came closer did he recognise them as Amane's group of friends, recognizing Aiko amongst them with his chest tightening at the memories of yesterday flooding back. Standing tall, he tried his best to ignore them as they spotted Amane, calling over for her to join them before school started. Before she ran off to her friends, the teenage girl paused, turning to Bakura as he muttered. "I'll see you after school."

Nodding with a smile, she ran off to join her friends as they laughed loudly, obviously joking about something, yet Aiko wasn't laughing with them. Rather, her piercing eyes fixated on Mariku, the stares confusing him as his hand rubbed his cheek, moving the skin with his markings on about subconsciously. She finally looked away, listening into the conversation among her while Mariku entered the school grounds with Bakura and Ryou, saying nothing to the former when he turned around and asked. "What was up with Aiko?"

Shrugging, he said nothing as Bakura frowned, sure that Mariku was hiding something and yet, much to the taller teen's relief, didn't push on the matter, instead turning back to the school as they neared it. It seemed that today was not going to be Mariku's day, as he spotted the Friendship Gang congregating near the door going into the school. He didn't even need to be able to see them, hearing Jonouchi's loud and obnoxious voice as it echoed down the school grounds to his group. Even the sound of it set Mariku's teeth on edge, his scowl returning as Bakura just kept walking towards the door. Ryou smiled when Jonouchi and Honda called over to him, waving the younger sibling over to join them, and with a brief goodbye, Ryou walked over to his friends.

Mariku watched them, eyes skimming over the faces for that tanned face that mirrored his own. However, Malik was nowhere to be seen, causing Mariku to look around in confusion, wondering where his brother had gotten off to if he was not standing around with his annoyingly loud friends. He couldn't look around for long, as the bell rang to signal the start of the school day, and the students that were hanging around outside had started to enter the building slowly, pushing Bakura and Mariku to go inside themselves. With his crumpled timetable in hand, he stared at his lessons for the day while Bakura piped up. "I think we have Maths right now. You done the homework?"

"Yeah," he started, recalling the pieces of homework that he shoved into the bag resting on his shoulder. "Though, I don't think many of them are right."

"If you're having trouble, you can look at my notes. Maybe you should also look into a tutor to help."

A snort came before Mariku could stop it, causing Bakura to stare blankly as his friend replied in a humourless tone. "Yeah, right. There's no chance anyone will wanna tutor me."

"Well, I can help you with some of your subjects." Bakura offered, stunning Mariku to the point where he was practically speechless. Hands on the back of his head, he glanced over at Bakura with a dumbfounded expression, unsure what to say to the offer before he was cut off by the other student adding quickly. "Though, I ain't gonna be able to help with your Art coursework. I'm not much of an artist."

Slowly, Mariku got control back over his brain, managing to get something past his useless tongue while nodding slightly. "Yeah, sure, I'd appreciate some help with Nakamura's classes."

Turning a corner towards their maths class, they walked past a closed door that led into the teacher's lounge, Mariku noticing some silhouettes of the teachers that stayed in the room, not particularly caring about they were up to, and instead listening to Bakura carrying on talking. "You know you can also ask the teacher about something you don't understand?"

"Oh, yeah, Nakamura would love knowing that I'm too stupid to understand something." Mariku shot back sarcastically, unwilling to even entertain the idea of telling Nakamura that he didn't get something. That was until he snapped at him that he didn't understand half the things in the lesson during their last meeting together, though that was mostly from his anger getting the better of him. It wasn't even a well known secret that Mariku didn't do well with the more academic lessons, and so his past self wouldn't have bothered coming in, but his brain starting thinking about how maybe Bakura was right, and that he should swallow his pride and ask for help.

What did he have to lose?

With a sigh, he lowered his hands until they were in his jacket pockets, fingers brushing against the glass screen of his phone, and turned his head back to Bakura, muttering when he noticed the unamused expression his friend was pulling. "You put yourself down too much, Mariku. I don't think you're stupid, but you could do well if you paid attention."

Well, that was half of a compliment. Mariku took the advice silently, holding back the urge to continue his sarcastic quips and self-deprecation. By the time they reached their maths lesson, the other students had taken to their desks, Nakamura sitting at his desk with his face buried in that computer screen. Mariku wondered if he could actually physically pry himself away from the machine. The teacher said nothing, overlooking the lesson plans for that day while the final students of the class came in and sat down, Mariku and Bakura included. Back at his desk, behind Jonouchi and Honda as the former snuck the evil eye at him, Mariku stared down at his vandalised desk and groaned, leaning against the palm of his hand as the lesson commenced. Nakamura had left the computer alone at last, standing at the front of the classroom with the lesson plans on the board.

Even ten minutes in, and Mariku started to feel his attention slipping with the boring voice droning on and on. He was ready to fall asleep, but when he noticed that Bakura was starting to take more notes, he remembered the advice given to him just before lesson. _You could do well if you paid attention._ Sitting upright, he grabbed his notebook and a pen, starting to write down the equations and notes on how to solve them, repeating them over and over again in order to help them stick in his mind. Some of the numbers were moving about, confusing Mariku to no end as he tried to make heads and tails of the more difficult equations and fractions that were given to him, though he felt better about himself when he solved the easier ones. Maybe Bakura was right.

Though, Mariku could've done without Honda and Jonouchi gossiping between each other in front of him, their hushed voices loud enough that he could notice it as well as Nakamura's booming voice. Glancing up from his notebook, he noticed Jonouchi leaning back on his chair, his arm resting on the front of Mariku's desk to stop the blonde haired from falling completely backwards. A thought of kicking his chair from underneath him crossed Mariku's mind, his foot shifting to get a better angle, before he stopped himself. Today, of all days, was not the best to get into trouble, even if it meant he could see Jonouchi's face at having fallen on his ass. So, he tapped his foot against the floor, growing frustrated with the two not shutting up before Nakamura shouted. "Jonouchi, considering you think whatever you're talking about is more important than my lesson, how about you share it with the class?"

"Huh?" Jonouchi started, realising everyone was staring at him before quickly adding. "No, Mr Nakamura, it ain't nothing!"

"I see, then pay attention, and stop swinging on your chair!" The order caused Jonouchi to lean forward, taking his arm off Mariku's chair while the latter watched in amusement, a smug look on his face before he carried on taking notes. His handwriting could use some work, but it was good enough for now considering he was still able to read it. Sometimes he wished he had nicer handwriting, like Malik's, though sometimes it bordered on being like doctor's writing where he couldn't understand a word of it.

His brain started to get tired with the maths constantly thrown at it. Sitting there, Mariku found it harder to concentrate with time passing by, his head feeling heavy as he yawned quietly, trying to push through the sleepy haze of morning with his chin resting in his hand. Eyes slowly closed, before he realised and forced them open again, trying to concentrate on the problems being presented to the class to solve. Why was there shapes on the board? Did the teacher run out of things to teach the class and they've now reversed back into kindergarten? Still, Mariku drew the shapes and the equations on the board, staring down at them with his frown deepening, feeling the frustration over not understanding it boiling away in the pit of his stomach. He wondered how Malik was able to understand this shit.

At least he wasn't being distracted by the two annoying students in front of him. Giving his brain a break, he looked out of the window, noticing that the rain clouds that were lurking before were starting to form together, the first shower of rain falling down on the window. Little droplets of water rolled down, forming small puddles on the windowsill, the chipped paint showing the wooden frame underneath. It was dreary. The rain certainly didn't help the mood of the class, Mariku looking around and seeing students that, like him, were getting fed up with the constant questions being thrown at them. Glancing back down at his notes, he couldn't stop pulling a face as he tried to decipher what it is that he actually wrote, finding that all the answers he learned had gone straight out of his head, leaving him unsure and dumbfounded over what was in his own notebook.

Much to his relief, the bell rang to signal the end of the lesson, the classroom practically rushing to the door to get out of the confusing lesson. Closing his notebook up, he leaned back in his chair and sighed, staring up at the ceiling while Bakura approached, his school bag slung over his shoulder as he paused in front of Mariku. Turning his head slowly, he stared up at Bakura as the latter asked. "You ready for next lesson?"

"God, yeah. I didn't get jack shit in this lesson." Mariku grumbled, packing his stuff away when something came to mind. Bakura's advice from earlier echoed in his head, the tanned student staring over at Nakamura as the teacher sat at his desk, looking over some pieces of paper and typing away at his computer. He really didn't want to, but if it would help him understand his work better, especially for the real exam looming at the end of the next school year, he bit the bullet and stood up. "Hang on."

Walking towards the desk, Mariku paused in front of it and waited, rubbing the lower part of his arm nervously. Eventually, Nakamura realised that he had a student waiting, raising an eyebrow as he asked the delinquent. "What's wrong, Mariku? I thought you'd have been the first of the students outta here."

Not saying anything, Mariku glanced back at Bakura, looking for some sort of encouragement, though all he got was a slight tilt of the head from his friend. Frowning, he turned back at Nakamura, finding that he was waiting for an answer, and sighed softly, before muttering as quietly as he could. "I need help."

"You'll have to speak up, Mariku, I've gone quite deaf in my old age." Nakamura pointed out, waiting patiently with his hands resting on the top of his wooden desk.

Growling under his breath, Mariku repeated himself louder, trying to stop the aggression from seeping into his words as he confessed. "I need help with our latest work. I don't get it."

Nakamura peered over the top of his thick glasses, his eyes surprisingly smaller without the lens of his glasses magnifying them. Mariku half expected him to turn around and reject his ask for help, allowing him to sit there confused and unable to understand for the rest of the school year in revenge for his behaviour, but oddly enough, Nakamura defied his expectations and just nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll come over to you next lesson on Monday and help you with the work. I'd also suggest a tutor. Maybe Bakura would be able to help you?"

"...Huh?" That was all Mariku could say. Dumbfounded over Nakamura actually offering to help him, he stood there silently with a stunned expression on his face. Bakura noticed it, walking over to Mariku and replying for him.

"I'm alright with helping him, sir." He offered, keeping eye contact with the teacher as he nodded. Mariku snuck a peek at Bakura, unable to tear his gaze away while his friend and their teacher talked to each other, the words they were speaking falling on deaf ears while Mariku just nodded slowly in answer to any question sent his way. Soon enough, both he and Bakura were out of the classroom and walking along the hallway to enjoy their break time. He kept quiet, rubbing the back of his neck until Bakura broke the silence between them. "I'm glad you asked Nakamura for help."

"Yeah, well… you give pretty good advice sometimes." The compliment didn't go unnoticed. Bakura gave Mariku a small smile in response, causing the taller of the two to feel his own lips pull upwards into his own smile, flashing a grin before he added. "Maybe you could give me advice on what to do at this meeting with the principle today."

A chuckle came from Bakura, who looked up ahead as he added. "Knowing it's you, I'd stay quiet."

They shared a rare laugh at that. Break was only a short fifteen minutes, though Mariku wished it was longer when the bell suddenly rang again, telling the students that it was time for their next lesson. When Mariku reached his next lesson, he had to say goodbye to Bakura as his friend walked off, trying to get to lesson without being really late. Music classes were alright, at least for those who could sing or play an instrument. Mariku was barely trusted with a triangle. Given how he nearly gave another student a concussion with his guitar last time, he gave the teacher a pass with being cautious, though sitting in the class while everyone learned was boring as fuck, especially since they were learning the keyboard that lesson.

The whole lesson consisted of Mariku sitting at the end of the line of students that wrapped around the room, leaving the middle space empty, and poking the keys on his instrument. He had no musical talent. Like, at all.

Some of the students played effortlessly, able to recreate the notes written on the music sheet in front of them with their fingers gliding over the keys, making it all look like child's play while Mariku just sat there, continuing to poke the keys in a half-hearted attempt to play the song given to him. The teacher tried to give him some pointers, though backed off when he started getting annoyed with the instrument, fighting his urge to pull it off the table and launch it at some poor person who was in the way, instead balling his hands up into fists. His injured hand was still bandaged, stopping his bitten nails from digging into the flesh on his palm, though his other hand wasn't as lucky, the stinging pain and pressure on his fingers pushing him to stop.

The time continued to drag on, even into his next lesson, and it seemed to slow to an almost stop as Mariku watched the clock in his next classroom, head resting in his hand while his Physics teacher kept explaining the topic of that lesson to the class. His stomach growled, ready for the upcoming lunch with Mariku trying to calm it down. Bakura didn't show any of the boredom or hunger that Mariku was feeling, even though he hadn't eaten anything for breakfast that morning. Instead, he focused on the lesson, ignoring Mariku as the latter continued to mess about, his brain frazzled after the Maths lesson and trying to figure out how to play a keyboard. His teacher didn't seem to notice him paying very little attention to her class, rather going on and on with her words falling on deaf ears.

Mariku had to stop himself from launching the chair as he left the class at lunch time, the bell ringing loudly in his ears a Godsend for him. Considering he didn't have the lunch box that Rishid usually made for him, Mariku was grateful for having his wallet on him, able to buy dinner from the school before making his way back to his classroom. With the rain refusing to let up ever since the start of the school day, the students were forced to stay indoors, either sitting in the canteen or disappearing off to their classrooms. Food in hand, Mariku retreated back to the classroom where Bakura was waiting, avoiding the gangs of students lurking around and the teachers that were enjoying the short break from teaching class after class of teenagers.

When he entered the room, he immediately spotted Bakura sitting beside his desk, chewing on a sandwich while staring out of the window, watching the raindrops that continued to pelt against the window. It didn't look like it would let up. Approaching his desk, Mariku dropped the box of food on it, smirking when the loud bang snapped Bakura out of his thoughts, causing him to jump back in fright before he realised that it was just Mariku being an asshole. Shooting his friend a glare, he took another bite of his sandwich, waiting for the other teen to sit down before he piped up. "Took your time."

"Was waiting for everyone else to get their lunch. Lines were huge." Mariku shot back, tucking into his lunch eagerly. His stomach was practically tearing itself apart, ready for the food that he swallowed to reach it. With his mouth full of food, he glanced up at Bakura, pointing at him with the chopsticks while wondering. "I've been thinking."

"That's something new."

"Shut up. Anyway, Malik is nowhere to be seen today." Bakura raised his eyebrows, turning his head around to look over the numerous faces that had joined them in the classroom that lunchtime, and sure enough he couldn't spot Malik amongst the groups, especially when he and Mariku spotted Ryou and his friends sitting on the other side of the room again.

Turning back to the other boy, Bakura hummed softly. "Strange. Maybe he's not well?"

"Hmm, maybe." Mariku muttered, swallowing down another mouthful of his lunch. Without Malik there, the group felt empty, lonely even, and with Mariku not even living at his own home anymore, he only had limited time to spend with his twin brother, and often that was during school hours. Maybe he should go and check on him at the weekend, do something together to try and make up for getting himself temporarily kicked out.

Bakura didn't talk much, rather looking like he was staring off into space while chewing on his sandwich. Mariku didn't pester him, knowing how tired his friend had been lately and rather left him to daydream in peace, enjoying the company as he carried on eating his lunch. The sound of the rain continuing to pour from outside filled the silence between the two best friends, along with the soft chatter amongst the various group of friends in their class, even Jonouchi keeping quiet as his group chatted amongst each other, though it didn't last long as he started joking with Atem. With his arm wrapped around the back of Atem's neck, Jonouchi carried on talking about something going on after school, Mariku paying very little attention as his thoughts started to drift as well, wanting some rest after he worked it overtime in the lessons before lunch. At least he had Japanese and Art after this.

Eventually, Bakura's voice broke the silence between them. "My father's been bothering me about whether I found a girlfriend or yet."

Mariku couldn't help but choke on his lunch. Quickly controlling his harsh coughing, he swallowed down his mouthful of food forcefully, clearing his sore throat and downing his bottle of water, all while Bakura watched with a blank look on his face. Composing himself, he wiped the corner of his mouth free from water and spit before replying in a raspy voice. "What?"

"Yeah… I dunno, he was talking about how he and my mother met, and then I guess the conversation turned onto me." Bakura shrugged, leaning into his hand after finishing his lunch, having shoved his lunch box back into his school bag and instead took a sip from his water bottle.

"Okay, well, I can't imagine that was a fun topic." Bakura chuckled at that, though his smile faded slightly when Mariku added slowly. "Do you even feel that way to anyone right now? Like, anyone here that catches your fancy?"

Bakura thought about that, those deep brown eyes moving to the side while he tried to think about the question. Mariku didn't know why the question was so important to him, but he sat there, waiting for his friend's answer with bated breath, and soon enough, Bakura shook his head gently, the few white bangs waving in front of his eyes. "Not really. Even if there was, I'm not looking for a relationship right now. I got Ryou and Amane to think about first."

That crushed Mariku. Though, he couldn't let Bakura notice the rapid shift in expression and instead buried his conflicting feelings deep inside him, instead grinning slyly as he pushed further. "Come on. Even if I can't stand many people in here, you can't deny there's some good lookers in our class."

"Alright, if you're confident, who'd you go for?" Bakura's question halted Mariku's fake smugness. Letting the grin slide somewhat, he looked around the classroom, shifting his gaze amongst the different girls that were sitting around and gossiping amongst their friends, though he didn't feel like he really found any of them attractive. Some were beautiful, there was no denying it, and yet he didn't feel like he wanted to be in a relationship with them, at least not one that involved sex anyway. While he tried to pick one, he overheard Bakura add. "You're taking an awfully long time."

"I don't really know." He confessed, turning his head back to look at Bakura when he noticed that his answer had surprised the white haired student.

Lifting his head off of his hand, he too looked around at the range of choice in their classroom, turning his attention back to Mariku while continuing their little questions about each other. "Well, what'd you find attractive in a girl?"

That just stumped Mariku even more. He obviously liked girls, or at least admitted that they were pretty, but he hadn't found one that made him know what he felt, made him weak at the knees and his heart hammering so loud that he could hear it thumping in his ears. That was what he thought love was meant to feel like. Thinking long and hard about it, he finally answered with a short reply. "Brown eyes."

"Brown eyes?" Bakura repeated, trying not to make fun of Mariku's decision at the very least as he hummed. "Brown eyes are nice."

"Well, come on, I answered one so now you gotta answer one." Mariku prodded, repeating Bakura's previous question with a smirk, trying to desperately hide the hopefulness trying to sneak into his tone while asking his best friend. "What'd you find attractive in someone?"

Bakura didn't move his head from the comfortable spot that he had it in, rather staring straight at Mariku with an unwavering gaze, those deep brown eyes slowly blinking as he thought in silence. Mariku didn't back down, rather his grin growing more as nervousness took over, the grown teenage boy trying to hide it behind a fake smugness that he had mastered over the years. Living with his father back in Egypt, Mariku became a better liar, at least better than Ishizu and Rishid, who couldn't tell a lie to save their lives. Finally, Bakura answered with another shrug of his shoulders. "I'm not one for appearance, I prefer personality. Someone who's… not loud. I get enough of that from Ryou's friends, and especially you."

"Would you rather I stay quiet like a good little boy?"

Bakura smirked at that. An eyebrow raised slightly, almost in a joking manner, he replied in a lower tone. "You could, but it'd get weird real fast. I'd much rather you just act like yourself… Well, not completely yourself."

The two shared a laugh. Having finished his lunch, Mariku pushed the empty containers away until he could put them in the bin on his way to his last lesson, having his Japanese lesson with Yamamoto in the classroom they were sitting in. Lunchtime went by too quickly for his liking, the bell ringing loudly in his ears as he groaned under his breath, wanting to keep joking about with Bakura rather than being forced to pay attention again, feeling the exhaustion and want for the weekend to come already plaguing him. Until he could get outside again, he shoved the remains of his lunch in his bag, kicking it back under his bag as the students that had their lesson in that classroom went to their assigned desks, their friends leaving the room to go to their own lessons. Bakura went off to his desk, getting ready for the class ahead of them while Mariku took the time it took for Yamamoto to get to the room to daydream, staring outside at the dreary conditions outside.

He could've sworn the clouds were getting darker. A thunderstorm threatened to rage later on in the day, the downpour growing harsher with the sound carrying on into the quiet room, the students in there with Mariku whispering to each other, waiting for their teacher to appear so that they could get the lesson over with. Eventually, Yamamoto stumbled through the door, holding papers in her arms as she greeted awkwardly. "Hello there, students! Sorry I'm late!"

Mariku watched from the back, feeling annoyed when some of the more asshole students laughed amongst themselves when their flustered teacher nearly dropped the stack of papers she was carrying, wondering if he should go up and help her before she managed to do it herself, staying firm in his seat while watching her. With the heavy load out of her arms, she clasped her hands together, cheerfully explaining the topic of today's lesson to her students, before quickly going on to teaching them. Mariku carried on practicing his writing in his book, finding some of the kanji harder to remember and write down than others, sometimes reverting back to his native Arabic mid thought and finding himself completely confused with his work, resting his forehead in his hand while trying to focus on his work.

He didn't know if he should've been thankful or annoyed when his teacher approached him, her voice quiet to avoid drawing attention to him as well as distract the other students hard at work. "Are you doing alright, Mariku?"

"Yeah, uhh, I think so." He muttered back, staring down at his work when he realised that some of the thoughts that he translated to Arabic had found their way on his work. "Shit."

"Don't worry. It happens with some of my other bilingual students, too." Yamamoto comforted, staying by Mariku's side as she helped him get his notes back on track. While she had to eventually leave him to work on his own with some of her other students needing her assistance, Mariku was left feeling better about his work and his notes in more clear writing, including the kanjis that he had difficulty in writing improving with the help from his teacher. Pleased with the new teacher they got, he didn't even really care about what happened to the old woman who previously taught the class.

She was a horrible old bat in Mariku's eyes, and even taken into his behaviour, she was still unnecessarily strict with the other students, including Bakura. Recalling her callous behaviour towards Bakura telling Mariku about his father leaving him in charge for the first time, he smirked at the memory of him leaving a dead rat in her desk, unable to recall where he even found such a thing. Maybe the street cat that lived in Bakura's alley brought it to him one day? Either way, she knew right away that it was Mariku who would do such a thing, and sent the sixteen year old to the principal's office for another lecture about his behaviour. Considering that was over a year ago, he wasn't so sure he'd react like that now, but considering that he spotted Bakura and Yamamoto conversing civilly, he found no need in seeking out that alleycat again. At least, not for Mrs Yamamoto.

After helping the students that needed her help, the young woman went back to the front of the class and sat behind her desk, settling down to do some marking while her students worked away individually. Though he had help, Mariku soon found himself doodling in the margins of his notebook, sketching the alley cat that lived in the alleyway as well as some of the other things that he'd seen, including the parent birds that were nested in the tree outside his maths classroom. He enjoyed drawing animals, finding himself especially drawn to the cat. Elegant, yet pretty stoic to those that it did not have a bond with, he found himself connecting deeply with the mysterious animal, wondering if that was why the Ancient Egyptians worshipped them, making so much so that harming one ensured death to the person cruel enough to do so.

Yet again, the Ancient Egyptians worshipped the dung beetle.

Finishing up the fur outline of the cat's face, he overheard the bell ringing to signal the end of the lesson. Students around him packed their things away, ready to leave when their teacher called out with a smile. "Oh, I almost forgot. I need your homework today, please. Just leave it on my desk here."

Some students pulled out the paper that was given as their homework, while others groaned under their breath and braced themselves for a scolding due to forgetting to do it, though when they confessed to her, she calmly told them to try and give it in next time, giving them a chance before she started dishing out punishments. Mariku pulled out his homework, looking over the written words before that pang of self-consciousness over his work hit him. When he walked down the class and passed the work to Yamamoto, he braced himself for a lecture, staring down at the young woman as she quietly glanced over the paper handed to her. Much to his surprise, she placed it with the other homework that was handed in and smiled. "Everything looks alright. Thank you, Mariku."

He stood there stunned, before slowly nodding and moving back as Bakura walked past him, giving in his own homework that the teacher happily accepted, adding it to the pile while cheerfully replying. "Thank you, Bakura. I'll mark these over the weekend, so you guys can expect the marks on Tuesday's lesson."

"Alright." Bakura replied, turning around and walking towards the door with Mariku following after him. After the calm lesson with the new teacher, Mariku felt better, his stomach no longer tearing itself apart and his brain grateful for the less knowledge packed lesson that he would have had to force himself to pay attention in, and the thought of Art being his last lesson improved his mood more. He never thought he'd have thought this, but he was actually excited enough that he hurried along to class, eager to get some more of his art coursework done, until he remembered the meeting with the principle lurking around as soon as that final school bell rang.

By the time he reached his art class, his mood had gone completely sour, a scowl permanently stuck to his face as he barged into the room, muttering goodbyes to Bakura before sitting down in his usual spot at the back of the class. The students that had made it to the class knew better than to engage him, Mariku ready to explode as he threw his bag under his chair, sitting down and putting his head down in his arms, having crossed them over the table. He couldn't help but assume the worst as soon as he would step into that office, the principle sitting in that ridiculous leather chair and pointing out everything that was wrong with the student. As if he hadn't done that himself constantly ever since he came to Japan. What if his arguments with Jonouchi in the last PE lesson was brought up to be used against him? He was close to starting a fight, but he didn't, or at least didn't have the chance to.

From his side, he heard Yuugi's voice pipe up as he suddenly appeared. "What's wrong, Mariku?"

"Nothing." Mariku grumbled in his arms, not trying very hard to look convincing to the shorter teen standing by their desk. The screech of the chair grated against his ears as Yuugi took his seat besides him, lavender eyes peeking from his arms only to see the other student pulling his bag off his shoulder and leaving it on the top of their desk, taking out the things needed to commence. "Just in a bad mood, is all."

"Oh, it's the meeting with the principle today, isn't it?" That made Mariku's scowl worse. Lifting his face out of his arms, he glared at Yuugi silently, listening as he quickly got his answer and tried to comfort the nervous teen next to him. "It's okay to be nervous, but I wouldn't go and assume the worse just yet. You'll do nothing but make yourself feel worse thinking that way."

"Even after that lil fuck up with Jonouchi?" Yuugi frowned at that, rubbing the back of his neck while both of them looked away from each other. Mariku tried to stay positive, remembering what Yuugi said in order to calm himself down, as well as stop his innards from tearing themselves apart with the anxiety raging deep within. Sighing deeply, he tried to distract himself with his coursework, sketching away while Yuugi tried his hand in watercolours for one of his pieces, proving to be more competent with the difficult paints than Mariku was.

Any time he tried to use them, he ended up causing the colours to go too far and ruin the picture. Yet Yuugi was able to use them, bringing colour to his sketch while Mariku snuck a few peeks, wondering how on earth the little guy was able to do it, before looking back at his own drawings. He prefered shading anyway, using different styles to bring more life to his drawings rather than relying on colour. Carrying on sketching the fur of a slick black cat, he tuned out all the voices that were chatting around him in the room, unwilling to strike up a conversation with Yuugi that time considering he still felt like shit, and didn't want to be prodded until he exploded and did something he regretted. Somehow, Yuugi knew about his unwillingness to converse with him, rather keeping quiet as he smiled brightly at his drawing, visibly pleased with how it was turning out.

Mariku glanced over quietly, his hand cupping his cheek while he leaned lazily over the desk. Yuugi's sketchbook was thicker than his own, with numerous loose pieces of paper sticking out of the closed binder, some edged bent backwards and all kept within by an elastic string wrapping around it, preventing the book from bursting opening and all the artwork that Yuugi worked hard on being lost or ruined. The coursework he was focusing on was of those monster things that were in that game everyone was raving on about. Duel Monsters, or some shit. Mariku spotted Malik having a few cards himself, though he didn't play much out of his friend group. Mariku himself didn't get the point, but he did not that some of the dragon monsters looked cool.

Along with a furry brown thing that had huge eyes and tiny clawed feet, Yuugi was busy painting away on some sort of magician looking guy. With an all purple outfit, topped with a pointy hat, and a large staff in his hands, there wasn't much else Mariku could guess him as, though he liked how Yuugi used the watercolours to do some of the shading as well. At the back of the work, he saw a draconic looking creature rearing up, its wings spread out with the front curling in slightly, its mouth open to reveal dozens of pearly white teeth. Scales that were white in colour and its eyes being painted in a deep blue, the whole piece of art was coming along nicely. Quietly, Mariku decided to compliment it. "I like what you're doing there."

Pausing in painting, Yuugi glanced over at Mariku with a surprised expression, before returning his gaze back to his work. "Thanks. Do you play Duel Monsters?"

"No. I know Malik has a few cards."

"Oh, yeah, he's a pretty good player. It was pretty funny when he beat Jonouchi the first time he played it." Mariku chuckled at that, both at the thought of Jonouchi getting beat at something that he enjoyed and at the sight of Yuugi smiling while recalling the memory.

"Well, I can show you some of my collection, if you're still able to come over to mine tonight?" Oh, shit. Mariku had completely forgotten all about his plans with Yuugi. He supposed he had time after the meeting to go around to the game shop and spend a couple of hours there, especially since Atem would be gone hanging out with his friends.

After those few moments of thought, he nodded slowly. "Sure."

"Alright! We can get some of our art work done too." Yuugi added, focusing back on his work while Mariku stared off into the distance, the pencil in his hand nearly dropped when he loosened his grip a bit too much. Making sure it didn't roll of the table, he tapped it against the blank page opposite to the one he was sketching on, not really feeling like drawing at the moment as his thoughts started to drift again. Ms Saito floated around the classroom, giving out compliments and advice on how to improve to the tables that she visited, and when she neared his table, Mariku was too far gone in his daydreaming to even hear what she was saying to him, only to snap out of it when she nudged him gently.

Looking over to her, he offered the teacher his apologies and gotten back to work on her request, carrying on finishing up the small sketches that he would likely hate in a few weeks time. When he flipped back to the front of his book, he saw some of his previous artwork that he thought were amazing at the time, only to loathe now, reading his handwriting on the different art styles and artists that the class had to do for their coursework. He enjoyed Art, but he didn't appreciate having to do styles and methods that he was clearly no good at, and writing up about everything that he did was a pain in the ass as well. Still, he couldn't complain much. So long as it wasn't Mathematics or Physics, he could push through the tedious writing itself.

After Yuugi's choice to sit next to him the previous lesson, their other classmates had stopped trying to convince him to come and join their groups instead, though a few that hadn't gotten the memo still tried to strike up a conversation with Yuugi and question him constantly over why he was sitting with Mariku. A few glares and offensive gestures with his fingers sent them away, however, though he wondered how Yuugi could stay so calm over constantly being bombarded by people who had nothing to do with the situation, finding himself growing short with his classmates.

With the final school bell of the day, Mariku found his body refusing to move from his chair, unwilling to go to the principal's office, though he tried to rationalise that if he went sooner than later, it'd all be over with. While he was having an internal conflict, Yuugi had already finished packing his things away, putting the paints that he borrowed back near the sinks where he got them from, though other students didn't extend the same courtesy with many of the paints having seen better days. Bag zipped up and slung over his shoulder, the shorter of the two stood there and pointed out. "Come on, you shouldn't keep the principal waiting."

"If I wait long enough, he might die of old age."

"You'll be waiting a long time, then." Yuugi retorted, backing off when Mariku, having realised that he was right, grunted in a deep tone and stood up from his chair. Packing his stuff away haphazardly, he zipped his bag up and slung it over his shoulder, keeping a tight hold on his strap before turning back to Yuugi. The shortstack no longer smiled at him, rather pointing out with a nervous laugh. "I guess I'll see you later. Take care, Mariku."

"You too, Yuugi." With that, Yuugi walked down the aisles of the classroom towards the door, leaving Mariku behind with just a slight wave as his only goodbye. No time like the present. Bag in hand and his eyes narrowing, he bid farewell to the distracted Saito, leaving the classroom before she could reply herself. Given how she was up to her neck in papers and coursework to mark, he highly doubted she paid enough attention to hear him.

Students walked about all around him, excited for the end of the school week and only the weekend in front of them, plans and laughter loud in his ears as he made his way towards the main exit where everyone left the building through. None of the people he knew were anywhere to be seen, even Bakura and his siblings likely having left to make their way home. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he started typing a message out to Bakura, making sure that his best friend knew that he'd be gone for a couple of hours after the meeting. Usually, the teachers would've reprimanded students for being on their phones, even if the school day had already finished and said student was making their way out to go home, but Mariku didn't have much of a problem as he made his way to the principal's office situated just down a hallway off the front foyer of the school.

There were already a few students sitting on the seats left outside, most of them younger students that looked like they would rather be anywhere else than there. Mariku easily dwarfed every single one of them, leaning against the wall opposite the door while he overheard the principal lecturing some poor student from within his office, the door closed so that no one could eavesdrop in on the conversation. That being said, his booming voice carried on that anyone who was walking down the hallway could easily overhear what he was saying, so the closed door was pretty much useless. Mariku took out his phone again when he heard it ping, taking it out to see that Bakura had replied to his message.

_Alright, I'll see you later._

When he moved to put it back in his pocket, he felt it vibrate and ping again, pausing as he turned it around to look down at the screen, raising an eyebrow when he realised that it was from Ishizu.

_I'm on my way to your school. Stay there, and don't try to run off to Bakura's again. This meeting is too important to skip out on._

Well, if he didn't get the message this morning about how the meeting was important, he certainly got it now, a sarcastic jab wanting to be sent back to his sister. However, he stopped himself and just ignored it, shoving his phone back into his pocket before crossing his arms over his chest. Some of the younger students winced when the door slammed open, the poor soul that was being shouted at walking out dejectedly while being followed by the principle himself. Nearly taller than Mariku, with his stocky build and muscled arms like tree trunks, he looked pretty frightening for a new student who was sent to his office, though they'd have had to behave pretty badly to be sent to him in the first place. His dark brown hair, slightly greying as he got on in his age, was slicked back, and with his narrowed blue eyes and ironed suit, Mariku wouldn't be wrong in putting the man in one of Bakura's old Mafia movies.

"Why am I not surprised in having you at my office again, Mariku?" His thunderous voice pointed out dryly, the old man glancing down the hallway as he added. "Your sister coming soon?"

"Yeah, she just texted me that she's on her way." Mariku replied dully, unmoving from his spot against the wall while the principal nodded slightly, moving from the doorway and gesturing for the student to come into his office with a flick of his head.

"Come and wait in here, then. We'll start the meeting when she gets here." The nervousness bubbling in his stomach worsened, but Mariku refused to let anyone see it as he kept a blank expression, slowly pushing himself off the wall and walking towards the door slowly. When he entered the office, he overheard the principal sternly order the kids that were still waiting just outside. "You three will be seen to shortly. Don't even think about moving."

With that, the door, and his only way of escaping, closed behind him. Standing there silently, Mariku was unmoving when the principal walked past him, sitting back down in his leather chair. His weight caused the chair to squeak, looking like it had seen better days with some of the leather work torn and slightly worse for wear, though Mariku was certain the head of the school was too attached to it to do anything about it. Honestly, all that was missing from the scene was an ashtray and the principal smoking one of those huge cigars that all the Mafia bosses enjoyed smoking. That, and a bunch of lackeys that would watch Mariku throughout their meeting, trying to unnerve him with their glares and weird outfits.

Coughing loudly into a hand balled up in front of his mouth, the principal gestured to a seat that was left in front of his desk. Mariku stared down at it, unsure whether he wanted to sit there or not, until he practically ordered Mariku, his voice levelled and calm without any of the anger that he heard just minutes ago. "Sit down. We have a lot to discuss about."


	7. No More Running Away

Mariku hated the principal's office. Sitting in the uncomfortable chair with Ishizu beside him and the principal sitting behind that stupid desk, his hatred for the cramped and suffocating room grew tenfold. The windows allowed sunlight in, but the heat of summer made the room almost unbearable to be in. Even with the small fan on the desk turning around constantly to blow cool air in their faces, Mariku felt like he was back in Egypt, brushing some of his fringe from in front of his eyes, though the fan kept blowing his spiked hair about annoyingly. Ever since Ishizu had arrived, he kept very much to himself listening to the principal as he lectured him in that gruff voice of his. "You know why we're having this meeting, right Mariku?"

What a stupid question. Mariku had to stop any sarcastic jabs from escaping his lips, rather crossing his arms over his chest and shrugging, feigning ignorance if it meant they would move on through the meeting and get to what they were going to do. The older man frowned at that, resting his hands on his desk as he carried on without Mariku's answer. "I ain't gonna sugarcoat this, you ain't a newcomer to this school anymore. Mariku, your behaviour has been atrocious these past few years that you've been in my school. Vandalism, bullying, intimidation, destruction of school property, skipping school. Do I need to go on?"

Ishizu sat there in embarrassment, her hand in front of her face when Mariku glanced over at her. It wasn't fun seeing someone he cared about feel that way because of him. His voice was quiet, barely able to be heard when he mumbled back. "No, sir."

"No, I feel like I do because _every_ time you are sent here and I tell you to buck your ideas up, you go out of your way to disobey me." The principal growled, before calming himself down while moving some reports to the other side of his desk, keeping them there to look over as soon as Mariku left his office. "When Nakamura came to me to do something about your behaviour, I was ready to expel you right here and now, especially after you smashed up one of my windows."

The reminder made Mariku's hand ache. However, he was shocked to hear what the principal had to say next. "But then I get this surprising visit from your new teacher. Mrs Yamamoto. I assumed that she was in my office because of your behaviour driving her up the wall like your last teacher, but much to my surprise, she was there to make your case. Apparently, you've been a model student for her."

"Mr Kimura, Mariku has been trying his best to change over this week, so that he could prove that he's able to be given one last chance to change for the better." Ishizu piped up, removing her hand from her face and instead resting both of them on her lap. Kimura turned his head, offering the grown woman a listening ear as she continued to say her piece. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but Mariku is no longer living with me. His friend, Bakura, had offered for Mariku to stay with him temporarily given that he lives closer to the school and is able to push Mariku to attend."

"I see. Given how I haven't had one report about you this week, Mariku, I can see that you are at least trying. Maybe all this will actually push you to better yourself." A nod from Mariku was all that was given. Unwilling to say anything that might turn the situation for the worse, he sat there silently, listening with the relief as Kimura added. "Your classmate, Yuugi Mutou, I've heard that you've changed your tune about him. Ms Saito noticed that he's actually sitting with you during your art lessons."

"That's good. If Yuugi can move on from how Mariku behaved, surely it paints my brother in a good light." Ishizu pressed on, surprising Mariku with how hard she was fighting to keep him in the school. Glancing over at her with raised eyebrows, Kimura caught his attention again as he replied to Ishizu's points.

"Indeed. Though, I feel like it's a bit convenient that Mariku changed his tune after being told he may be expelled, but I am glad he actually listened. Given what Mrs Yamamoto said and the lack of complaints I've received this week, I am willing to put Mariku on a probationary period." The news that he avoided being expelled caused both Mariku and Ishizu to relax, the former sighing quietly in relief. However, Principal Kimura carried on in a sterner tone. "This is the time to really prove yourself, Mariku. If I find out that you have started going back to your old ways, I will expel you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yessir." Mariku replied quietly.

Principal Kimura allowed some of his strict expression fade with the reply, turning to address Ishizu in a more respectful manner. "Okay, then. Thank you for coming here, Ms Ishtar, and please accept my apologies if you had to put off your work to come to this meeting."

"It's no trouble, Mr Kimura. I'm just glad we've sorted all this out with Mariku." Mariku got up from his chair along with his sister, standing quietly as she bowed to the principal and finished the conversation with a polite. "We'll be going now. Thank you for your time."

Kimura nodded, gesturing to his door with a brief wave of his hand before getting back to his paperwork, allowing Ishizu and Mariku to leave the office quickly. The students that Mariku saw before had gotten off, the seats left empty while the teenage boy chuckled to himself, remembering back to when he himself often left the waiting area and walked off either home or somewhere to hang about. Principal Kimura always got him in the end, though. Ishizu was quiet as they walked towards the front doors leading out of the building, keeping her gaze straight and steady while Mariku wondered what she was thinking about, sticking to her side and occasionally glancing up at her calm expression, until he looked away again. The silence stayed that way until they left the school building, Ishizu making her way to the car park where she had likely left her car.

Pausing on the walking path to the car park, she finally turned her attention to Mariku and asked him. "Would you like a ride back to Bakura's? It'll save you having to walk."

"Nah," Mariku rejected, putting his arms up against the sides of his head. "I was gonna go down to Yuugi's game shop anyway. Do some of our coursework together."

"I'm glad he's putting the past behind him. I have to admit, when Malik told me that you were trying to make up with Yuugi and his friends, I was worried that you'd be rejected and disheartened to try again. Just be careful, Mariku."

The mention of Malik caused Mariku to pause, turning his head back to Ishizu as he wondered about his twin. "Where was Malik today? I didn't see him anywhere."

"He's been unwell. It's just the flu, but you are free to come home and visit him if you want." Ishizu offered. Mariku said nothing, his face a blank expression before he nodded slowly, earning a rare smile from Ishizu as she added. "Okay. Before I go, I just wanted to say… I'm very proud of you, Mariku, for doing all this."

His brain went blank. Standing there like an idiot, he didn't know what to say or do with the confession, instead smiling genuinely as opposed to his usual sly smirk that he gave her. Without saying anything else, Ishizu turned and made her way towards the small red Fiat that she had been working towards paying off, giving Mariku a small wave for goodbye before getting in and driving along out of the car park. Mariku just stood there, the smile still on his face as he felt actually pleased. The meeting may had been uncomfortable, but he guess he needed the wake up call, and with Ishizu actually praising him instead of going along and cleaning up his mess, it made him feel better about himself.

Starting to make his way out of the school grounds, he kept grinning to himself all the way into the part of town where Yuugi's game shop was. With the school week done and only the weekend ahead to look forward to, students had came out of their homes and flooded the streets, hanging around in their group of friends looking for something to ease their boredom. Mariku walked among them, checking his phone periodically in case Bakura had sent him a message or something. When his inbox was revealed to be empty for the millionth time, he put it away and kept walking in silence, feeling his stomach suddenly rumble in hunger. With the stress of the meeting and the end of the week melting away, his appetite had reared its head once more, pushing Mariku to press his hand against his stomach in an attempt to calm it while reaching into his back pocket.

Opening his wallet, he sighed when he saw how little money he had left. Guess he'd have to wait until he got home. Shoving his wallet back in his pocket, he carried on walking with his stomach tearing itself to shreds, trying to ignore the smells of the food wafting from the fast food restaurants. Crossing the road, he listened to the sounds of the city life carrying on around him before shoving his headphones in. Playing the playlist that he downloaded onto his new phone, he drifted off into his thoughts while walking along the crowded pavement, pushing his way through as people tried to get out of his way, nearly pushing some off onto the road in annoyance when they got too close. He may had been trying his best to behave, but it didn't mean he appreciated his personal bubbled being invaded by other people.

The large sign of Yuugi's game shop was visible in the distance. Solomon was outside, sweeping up the filth from the day to keep his stairs and front area clean. Adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder, Mariku paused in front, staring down at the short elderly man in silence, saying nothing until Solomon noticed the teen and paused in his sweeping. "Oh, hello there, Mariku."

"Hey, Solomon. Yuugi about?" Solomon straightened up, using the broom as some support for his terrible back. Mariku stood there, quickly adding in case the old man was assuming the worst of him. "I ain't doing nothing. Just came over to do some coursework."

"Oh, I know. Yuugi told me. You can go in, he'll be upstairs in his room likely." Saying nothing in response, Mariku walked past Solomon as the latter got back to his chores, carrying on sweeping while left alone. The bell above the door jingled when Mariku pushed the door open. Inside the store, it was strange standing there without Malik chatting away with Yuugi and the others, Mariku having very rarely been in the store unless it was before with his old gang. Solomon obviously took great care in it, the cases showing the Duel Monsters cards and other RPG things wiped clean and the shelves dusted free of any debris and dust, showing off more figurines and other random stuff that Mariku had no interest in.

That was until he spotted a figure of the dragon that he saw Yuugi painting in class earlier that day. Stopping in his tracks, he instead moved over to the counter and stared at the figurine on the shelf, stunned at how closer Yuugi was able to get his picture to look like the real deal. The workmanship was stunning, with the white scales having some blue tint added to the paint work and its eyes sticking out with its deep blue colour, mesmerizing Mariku as he stared at it. However, it was pretty expensive. Humming in disappointment, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard Yuugi's voice call out from behind him. "What're you doing?"

Spinning around, he noticed that Yuugi had snuck downstairs while he was busy staring at the figurines. His school uniform was nowhere to be seen, rather wearing a thin black tank top similar to one that Mariku himself was fond of wearing, along with some casual pants and a lack of shoes. Somehow, he looked even shorter compared to Mariku now. Rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, he pointed at the dragon figurine he was staring at, watching as Yuugi followed his gesture and stared at the figurine as well. "I was just lookin' at this. It's pretty cool."

"Oh, that's the Blue Eyes White Dragon." Yuugi explained, walking towards Mariku as he continue to elaborate. "One of the most powerful monsters in Duel Monsters. Apparently, the CEO of Kaiba Corporations is a big fan of the Blue Eyes."

"Kaiba Corp?"

"You don't know? Seto Kaiba. He left school last year after he inherited the company from his father. He's a pretty good duelist, too." Mariku didn't know there was so much going on with the card game. To be honest, he thought it was just a stupid game for children, but seeing how enthusiastic Yuugi was with it, he felt kinda bad making fun of his interests before. Yuugi's voice snapped him out of his thoughts again, the taller of the two listening as the other added. "I like the Blue Eyes, but the Dark Magician is my favourite."

"Is he the purple one?" Mariku piped up.

Nodding in response, Yuugi turned around and gestured for Mariku to follow him, going back towards the stairs leading up into the apartment above the shop. "I can show you some of my cards that I collected after we get some work done."

Leaving the Blue Eyes figurine alone, he followed after Yuugi as they made their way up the stairs. The apartment upstairs was small, especially given that Solomon had two growing teenage boys living with him, but it was also almost cosy in a way. With an open kitchen in the corner of the room and the living room consisting of a couch, a large TV, and a coffee table that was covered in Yuugi's things, Mariku found it quaint, sitting down on the couch while Yuugi carried on sorting through the numerous papers from his multiple school lessons. The couch itself was pretty comfy, Mariku's weight sinking into the cushions as he rested his arm on the arm rest. There were a few doors leading into the two bedrooms of the apartment, both of them closed to hide whatever was in there from Mariku's gaze, though he was nervous in case Atem suddenly materialised from behind one of those doors.

Yuugi said that he was at Jonouchi's, but that didn't calm his nerves. Honestly, he wasn't in the mood to deal with the other teen's harsh words and anger.

Turning his attention back to Yuugi, Mariku noticed some of the sketches that he was tidying up, far from being completed as they were just in their sketched stage, though he noticed another magician character amongst the more fictional looking creatures. Similar to the Dark Magician, and yet she was wearing a more, Mariku wanted to say provocative, outfit. Long blonde hair and big eyes coloured blue, she seemed pretty cheerful with that smile. Raising an eyebrow, Mariku picked it up, staring down at it while muttering. "You seemed to have put a lot of time in this one."

"Huh?" Yuugi piped up, spotting the picture in Mariku's hands as his face flared up bright red. As soon as it was there, it was quickly snatched away and hidden in the other drawings on the table, the flustered boy explaining. "She's the Dark Magician Girl! It's not anything like you're thinking!"

"Okay, lil' guy. I ain't judging." Mariku joked, chuckling at the sight of Yuugi's face while pulling his own bag off his shoulder, dropping it down between his feet while rummaging around. Having given in most of his homework that day, he groaned at the sight of more homework given to him during his lessons that day. He'd have to dedicate much of the weekend if he wanted to get it all done in time.

Finally, he found his sketchbook, pulling it out while Yuugi, who had calmed down after the brief embarrassing moment, started getting his things in order to start work on his latest art project. On most of his drawings, Mariku could see his handwriting detailing his choice of art style and why he chose what he did, the writing prettier and more eligible than Mariku's. While he was staring at it, he heard Yuugi ask him quietly. "How was the meeting with Principal Kimura?"

The meeting. Mariku looked up with a blank expression, leaning into his hand while explaining his situation. "Well, I ain't getting expelled. Said I was gonna be put on a 'probationary period', whatever the fuck that means."

"It's like where you're gonna be watched more closely by the teachers, and your behaviour has to be to their standards otherwise you get expelled. Sorta like what Jonouchi was on." That made Mariku smirk, the thought of Jonouchi being that close to expulsion almost like Christmas came early. Yuugi didn't notice the smirk, or at least he pretended he didn't, and instead carried on questioning his former bully. "You happy you dodged expulsion?"

"Fucking ecstatic. I don't think I could handle being stuck in a house all day if I got expelled, and no school woulda wanted me after that." Flipping through the pages of his book, he thought back to the meeting, finding that his thoughts were distracting him from carrying on with some of his newer art works.

Dipping his brush in a cup of water on the table, Yuugi carried on working with his watercolours while Mariku watched over the top of his book. The way the brush moved across the page was elegant, surprising Mariku as he found himself unable to stop watching and focus on his own work. A thought crossed his mind. Swallowing down his pride, he asked the other teen in a low voice. "Hey, Yuugi?"

Large eyes moved away from the page, instead staring up at Mariku as he carried on in embarrassment. "You think you can teach me, you know, how to do all that fancy painting?"

"Huh, you mean watercolours?" A short nod in response. Yuugi thought for a moment, before gesturing for Mariku to come sit next to him, waiting patiently as the other boy obeyed slowly. His longer legs were buried under his weight uncomfortably, finding no space to spread out and instead Mariku sitting in a tense crouched position, staring down at the art that Yuugi was working on.

It was another dragonic monster, but staring down at it, he could see that it was the complete opposite to the Blue Eyes that he saw multiple times before. Black scales rather than the blue-tinted white ones, and deep red eyes staring ahead instead of oceanic blue, this creature looked more demonic and evil than the majestic Blue Eyes. Paint brush in hand, Yuugi started putting colour in his art, explaining to Mariku about the water-paint ratio and all about balance depending on how much colour he wanted, and the explanation actually started to sink in. Rather than flying over his head like in Mathematics or Sciences, Mariku found that he could repeat what Yuugi was showing him on his own artwork, liking how the water colours brought colour into his usually sketched and pencil shaded drawings.

"If you do this," Yuugi carried on, dipping his paintbrush in the water to get rid of the rest of the paint stuck to the bristles. Cleaning it free before wetting it again, he brushed over the paint that he applied to his paper, diluting the colours and pulling it across to shade the picture, until it was no longer visible. "It helps with shading. Let's see what you did."

Comparing his work to Yuugi's, it was an alright first attempt, though Mariku couldn't help but feel discouraged with the sudden improvement in the newly tried painting technique. Instead of Duel Monsters like the shortstack was fond of drawing, Mariku tried something from back home in Egypt, recalling seeing numerous wild animals that shared the homeland. With sand coloured in beautifully, he added the River Nile running through with vegetation on both banks, the outlines of crocodiles ready to be painted. Still, Yuugi was nothing if not positive and full of praise, nodding slowly while pointing out cheerfully. "It's very pretty. Where is it?"

"It's the Nile back in Egypt." Mariku explained, putting the finishing touches in the water while reminiscing. "My dad took me and my siblings there for a background on our homeland. Wanted us to know how great everything was."

"That sounded nice."

"It fucking sucked." Yuugi's face dropped. Sitting there beside Mariku, he said nothing to interrupt him as Mariku elaborated in an annoyed tone. "I ain't gonna start chatting about the old fuck, but God I hated that fucking place. It was hot, loud, and there were so many people _everywhere._ Doesn't help to be on your best behaviour when everyone is poking and prodding you as if you're some freak show."

"I always wanted to go to Egypt… My father was born there."

Seeing how dejected Yuugi had become, Mariku quickly thought on his feet, stopping in his painting as he glanced away slowly, muttering in a low tone. "The pyramids were pretty cool, and I'm sure you'd like the wildlife you saw around Cairo. I once saw a crocodile basking along the Nile."

"That sounds amazing. Grandpa said that we'd go this summer when we start school holidays, but it'll be pretty lonely without my friends." Painting in the demonic dragon, Yuugi paused in his talking, somewhat saddened that he'd be leaving Japan for the school holidays to go back to his father's home. Mariku didn't know what to say, but he honestly wasn't jealous at all. It'd be a cold day in hell before he stepped foot back in that country, especially with his father still kicking around. Ishizu had brought it up a few times, still wanting to do well by her family and visit, but Mariku dug his heels in and started fighting whenever the conversation came up.

He wouldn't give up on that one.

"It ain't forever, at least. I'm sure your friends won't crumble if you ain't there for a month or two." He pointed out, turning his focus from his coursework to the other teen sitting next to him. A lock of blonde hair dangled in front of Yuugi's face, quickly being brushed away as he nodded with a smile on his face, clearly brightened up by Mariku's kind words. It was weird, sitting there beside someone who detested being near him, but Mariku would take this situation over catching Yuugi off-guard in the boys' toilets or near the gate after school.

After the brief talk, the both of them went back to focusing on their coursework, eager to get as much as they could done so that they could enjoy the weekend with friends. Solomon shuffled around behind them, his hand rubbing the small of his back as his movements seemed robotic and awkward, almost unlike how other people walked about. Mariku was curious, he wouldn't deny that, but out of respect, and likely awkwardness, he refrained from questioning the old man over what was the problem with his back. After half an hour passed, his stomach came back with a vengeance. The sound echoed in the silence, clear as day, and Mariku didn't say anything when Yuugi glanced up in confusion, unsure what the sound was until he spotted Mariku gripping his stomach in pain again.

"Hey, you alright?" A quick nod of the head was all he got, and Mariku could tell from Yuugi's face that he didn't buy a word of it. "Really?"

"I'm just a bit hungry. I should actually get going anyway." He explained, starting to carefully pack up his drawings as to not ruin them. Yuugi sat there with raised eyebrows, watching him hurry around like a headless chicken.

"Uhh... You're free to stay for something to eat. We still got some things left to do." Hands stilled in what they were doing. Halfway through packing his sketches away in his bag, he stared down at Yuugi, noticing the other teen growing more nervous with those familiar, piercing lavender eyes staring straight at him, the stare hard and unwavering as he slowly turned to Solomon and asked. "Is that alright, Grandpa?"

"I don't have a problem with it. I'll whip you guys up something." Slowly, Mariku sat back down, his hands resting on the coffee table while Solomon moved about the small kitchen area behind the couch. Glancing up at the clock, he noticed that it was nearly five in the afternoon, grabbing his phone from his pocket and checking his messages. Quickly typing another message to Bakura over staying at Yuugi's for dinner, he shoved it back in his pocket and tried to concentrate on his artwork.

"So, Mariku." Solomon started, appearing from behind the couch while grabbing the tanned boy's attention. "Malik told me that he and his family are vegetarians. I just want to ask you what you're okay with me cooking for dinner."

"Oh… I'm not vegetarian. Just do whatever you're doing for Yuugi, I'm cool with anything." Solomon disappeared with a kind smile and a nod, going back to the kitchen to start cooking. Mariku didn't like sitting there, wondering if he should've gone up and offered his help with dinner, like he'd do for Bakura or his family, if they were able to stomach his cooking anyway. However, he felt like he was nailed down in place, rather listening as Yuugi carried on talking to him.

"What's up with your family being vegetarians? Is it some sort of religious reason?"

Chuckling deeply, Mariku stopped painting, finding his creative inspiration dwindling away as he shrugged nonchalantly. "Ishizu and Rishid, yeah, but I have no clue with Malik. I guess it's because he's been brought up like that. I don't give a shit, I'll eat what I want."

"I don't think I can do that. Jonouchi and I always go to this burger place in town." Mariku knew the place. He didn't go there considering he hated his food covered in grease and all people swarming around him, laughing and talking obnoxiously, he'd rather just order in and eat in the comfort of his own home. While they were busying themselves, the door from the staircase leading into the shop downstairs opened, the pair confused as to who it would be when Mariku tightened his grip on his paintbrush, threatening to snap it in half when he saw who it was.

Atem stood there in the doorway. Glancing up from his phone, his face fell into a blank expression, as if his brain was trying to process the person sitting in front of his couch with his brother. The whole scene went silent, Yuugi glancing at Mariku before standing up slowly, trying to keep the peace amongst the group, though felt small compared to the two taller teenage boys when Mariku got to his feet as well. Shoving his phone in his pocket, Atem bluntly pointed out. "What's this?"

"I asked Mariku to come over so we could do our art projects together." Yuugi explained, adding in a tired tone when Atem's glare intensified. "I thought you were in Jonouchi's, I didn't want everyone fighting."

"Jonouchi felt sick. I told him we'd hang out tomorrow, but I didn't expect you to go behind my back, Yuugi, and invite _him_ to our house. Our house that he burgled!" Shit. This wasn't good. Mariku felt his frayed nerves getting worse under the pressure, ready to blow up at Atem and yet that small part of his brain trying to pull him back, trying to explain to him what he had to lose if he fucked up this. Standing there silently, his hands balled into fists as Atem coldly ordered him. "I want you to leave."

"Atem."

"Fine." Everyone, minus Atem, was shocked with how cold Mariku's voice was when he replied. Shoving things in his bag, he hung it over his shoulder and stormed towards the door, barging past Atem while calling over his shoulder. "Thank you for having me here, Solomon."

Any protests fell on deaf ears. His chest hurt, the pressure in his head building up to the point where he was certain it was ready to burst. Footsteps could be heard behind him. He didn't stop to find out, he didn't _want_ to stop to find out, wanting to just get out and get some fresh air in his crippled lungs, feeling like the shop around him was too small, too constricting and claustrophobic. The summer afternoon was still bright, the sun rays warm to the touch on Mariku's exposed lower arms. However, he felt anything but bright at that moment, wanting to get away from the game shop and back home. It was bound to go wrong. Yuugi was a nice kid, but it was obvious when Mariku wasn't welcome somewhere, and maybe, he thought, it was for the best. At least he couldn't fuck it up with the shortstack if he wasn't around him.

"Mariku!" A voice behind him called out. He didn't stop, instead walking along faster in hopes that he'd leave whoever was following after him behind. No such luck, as the voice behind him called out again with footsteps clearly heard running up behind him. "Mariku, hold up!"

Against his better ideas, he gave in and stopped in his tracks, turning around to see that it was none other than Yuugi that had gone after him, running up to the taller teen while gasping for breath. Giving him a chance to catch his breath back, Mariku stood there silently as Yuugi panted. "I know Atem's gonna take longer to turn around, but I know that you're trying to turn things around."

"I'm gonna be honest here, pipsqueak." Mariku started, pushing away his feelings when he saw the use of the derogatory nickname stunning Yuugi. "All this friendship shit. You gotta see that it wasn't gonna work out from the beginning. I did what I did, and I'm paying for it. I'm on thin fucking ice as it is. So, you just keep to your gang of weirdos and assholes, and I'll stick to what suits me best."

"Mariku, why are you being like this?" The question hit him hard. Stopping his guilt and pain over pushing Yuugi away from showing up on his face, Mariku went cold with narrowed eyes staring straight down at him.

"Because what is the fucking point?! Your friends hate me, you brother can't stand to be in the same room as me, and even I can see how nervous you get being around me!" Approaching Yuugi, he stopped when he saw the other boy wince involuntarily, backing off to make some space between him. His cold glare lessened into a sorrowful stare, his voice losing its angered edge as he continued. "I thought so. Be honest with me Yuugi, why are you even doing this?"

"I…" There was no answer coming after that.

Mariku knew it, breathing heavily through his nose as he sighed. "You told me about how Jonouchi used to bully you, and you forgave him. What was the worst thing he ever did? Call you names? Throw your bag in the school pool?"

"Yeah…" Yuugi couldn't even look at him, glancing away as Mariku paused in his rant.

"Okay. Thanks for trying, Yuugi, but maybe it's best if we just stay the fuck away from each other." That hurt to say, especially with Yuugi dejectedly nodding while Mariku took the opportunity to leave the conversation at that. Turning on his foot, he kept walking down the pavement alone, leaving Yuugi behind near the game shop. He didn't look back. Rather, he kept walking until he had no idea where he was, unsure where he had to go to get back to Bakura's house, but that didn't his feet from moving along quickly.

Surely enough, he'd come across somewhere in this city that was familiar to him. Wandering around, starving and downtrodden, he passed by a group of teenage girls that were giggling to themselves, talking about some shit that he couldn't care about as he walked past, leaving them to do whatever they were gonna do. The weekend officially started. Numerous teenagers were still enjoying their free time, some of them enjoying food in the takeout places lining up along the main street, the cacophony of chatter and laughter loud in Mariku's ears as he kept walking by. Soon enough, the sun started dipping behind the buildings, dusk colouring the skies various pretty colours, yet Mariku wasn't paying much attention as he took a shortcut through the alleyways between the buildings.

It would've been a stupid idea, but at least he knew where he was going after using these alleyways to escape policemen and Ishizu.

Poking out into a different street, he found a familiar street sign that pointed in the direction of Bakura's part of town. Relieved, Mariku followed after it, hoping to get home before nightfall came and the temperature dropped again. Readjusting his bag strap on his shoulder, he wince when his stomach growled out again, even worse than before, and tried to ignore it as best as he could. Atem couldn't have came around after he had something to eat, couldn't he? Ignoring the thinned herd of people lurking around the city before night time, he found more and more of the city around him became familiar, following his memories to get back home. The thought of Bakura wondering why he was home early plagued him. He hoped that he could just grab something from the fridge and retire to his room, not in the mood to talk to anyone after the shitshow that happened just before.

Yuugi didn't deserve that. Mariku knew that, and groaned under his breath as he reached the street near his temporary home. The store that Rin worked at was closing for the night, the employees gathering around the entrance chatting while they waited for their transport to go home, while others opted to walk or get in their own cars and drive off. Amongst those waiting was Rin, her once dark brown hair dyed into different colours, blue streaks visible amongst the silver, though she still had it up in a bun during work. Trying to use the other employees as a distraction to make sure Rin didn't spot him sulking back home, Mariku kept his head down and quickened his pace, not stopping even when he heard a voice call out. "Mariku!"

" _Fuck._ " He snarled to himself, turning around to see that Rin had spotted him despite his best efforts.

However, the anger and hate that she clearly had for him wasn't there on her face. Dropping her lit cigarette on the pavement and approaching him, Mariku said nothing as she calmly asked him. "Is it true?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Fucking hell, Amane was in my store today, telling me about how great you were and how you were changing everything around. It was disgustingly sweet, but was what she said true?" Rin explained, crossing her arms over her chest while waiting for an answer. Mariku was surprised that Amane would talk to Rin about him, wondering how the subject of himself even came up, but he replied with a small nod.

"Yeah." He started, pulling the strap of his bag further up his shoulder. "Yeah, it's true."

"Well, fuck me. Didn't think you'd have it in you. I know we've been bitches to each other, and I ain't gonna start being your friend now because you realised how much of a dick you've been, but I gotta say this. It takes balls to admit when you fucked up." That lifted his sour mood. Mariku didn't smile brightly or act all sweet to Rin, considering he still despised her very being, but he appreciated her way of saying things as she added. "Just don't fuck this up, is all I have to say. Best thing now is to keep your head down, don't attract attention to yourself, because many people here ain't gonna be as nice as others."

"Huh… I'll keep that in mind." He muttered back, moving away form Rin as he made his way down the street to Bakura's house. She didn't run after him or yell insults, instead letting him go home before going back to her work colleagues to wait for her ride home. With the sun disappearing from the skies, the temperature dropped, the chilled wind cold to the touch as it brushed against Mariku's exposed arms, his hands rubbing the freezing skin in hopes to warm them up while he made his way down the street.

Once he reached the gate leading up to the front gate, he paused, staring up at the window illuminated from the ceiling light in the living room within, shadows of the people living in there moving about. He almost didn't want to go in and endure their questions, but his empty stomach pushed him forwards, walking up the path as slowly as possible. Hand on door knob, he took in a deep breath and slowly turned it, peering into the hallway silently while laughter could be heard from in the living room. Sneaking in, he pulled his bag off his shoulder and tossed it against the wall, working to take his shoes off while the bag slid down until it was a pitiful mess of fabric and straps on the floor near the shoe cubby.

He hoped to get into the kitchen and just make himself to eat before going off to bed, but luck was not on his side when he saw Ryou poking his head around the corner, spotting Mariku standing there while happily chatting to him. "I thought you would have been in Yuugi's for longer."

"Uh, yeah, he wasn't feeling well so…" Mariku trailed off, putting his shoes in an empty space of the cubby.

"Oh, that's too bad. If it makes you feel better, there's someone here for you." The mention gripped Mariku's curiosity. Following after Ryou as the latter disappeared back into the living room, he entered and looked around, seeing Bakura sitting in his usual seat and Amane sitting over on the couch, with Malik sitting beside her with a warm smile on his face.

Stopping by the doorway, Mariku stared down at his brother while Ryou moved past him, taking a seat next to Amane while the still standing teen asked in confusion. "Malik? What're you doing here?"

"I wanted to come around after hearing about your meeting with the principal." Malik revealed, coughing into his hand for a brief moment. While he tried to brush it off as nothing, Mariku recalled Ishizu telling him about his twin's illness, unwilling to have him in Bakura's if he wasn't well. Composing himself, Malik lowered his hand and added. "Ishizu told me that you aren't gonna be kicked out. That's really great news."

"Yeah… It's something." Mariku mumbled, rubbing his chin before his hand drifted down to rest in the crook of his neck. The others noticed that he wasn't as thrilled as he was, and he was actually happy to avoid expulsion, but he was in no mood to celebrate after the shitshow at Yuugi's place. Empty plates were left on the table, none of the siblings having done the dishes while Mariku was walking about town, and the thought of finally getting something to eat pushed him to try and leave the uncomfortable conversation. "I ain't feeling too hot, so I'm just gonna get something and then go to bed. Sorry guys."

"Mariku?" He ignored Malik calling his name, instead disappearing into the kitchen. Pulling the fridge door open harshly, he had to stop the carton of milk from falling off the shelf in the fridge, putting it back in its spot before perusing through what they had to eat. Not feeling up to cooking anything that night, he grabbed some leftovers that he spotted on the lower shelf, all wrapped up in tin foil, and nudged the fridge door shut with his hip.

Whoever these leftovers were, they're his now. When he turned to walk back through the arc connecting the living room and the kitchen, he paused when he saw that Malik had blocked his way, standing there with his arms crossed as he asked calmly. "What's happened?"

"What? Nothing happened, I just ain't in the mood to talk to anyone tonight." He shot back, trying to move past his brother as the other twin copied his movement, blocking him from leaving the kitchen. Cornered like an animal, he let his anger bubble over slightly as he growled in a low tone, trying to get the warning through Malik's head before he exploded and did something that he would regret. "Malik, get the fuck outta my way."

Malik stood his ground. Unwavering in his ambition to extract the truth from Mariku, he shook his head and explained in a level headed manner. "Not until you tell me what's wrong. Did something happen at Yuugi's?"

"Nothing happened at fucking Yuugi's, alright. I'm tired because I've been stuck in a shitty office listening to Principal Fuckface talking down at me, and I just wanna go to bed." Mariku cursed, his grip on the leftovers tightening. Something at the back of his mind was screaming at him to get out of the situation, and yet Malik was as stubborn as everyone else in his family, including Mariku himself, and his aggressive brush off from revealing what happened only made Malik more suspicious. Cursing under his breath, Mariku added in an angered tone. "Malik, I ain't in the fucking mood, now _move!_ "

"Mariku, you gotta calm down." Bakura pointed out, appearing by Malik's side while the cornered boy glanced over. His breathing quickened, the feeling of being closed in and constricted caused his eyes to narrow and his eyebrows to furrow tightly, showing to the others how pissed he was.

"If nothing's wrong then you wouldn't be so pissed off." Malik pointed out, moving closer to his brother and placing a hand on his shoulder. Mariku tensed up at the touch, fighting back the urge to wrench the hand off and instead kept quiet, managing to push his way past Malik and Bakura.

Unwilling to remain where he'd be bombarded with questions, he retreated up the stairs and into his bedroom. The slamming of the door behind him caused the frame and wall to vibrate from the sheer force. Alone in the bedroom, Mariku could hear hushed talking from downstairs, though the words were too quiet and muddled together for him to make sense of what they were saying. The leftovers in his hands were left on the bedside table, abandoned as his appetite died away, and instead Mariku just flopped down on his bed. Face buried into the duvet made up on his bed, the smell of lavender and other pleasant aromas wafting into his nose while he laid there, unmoving from his spot as his mind ran over the events of the day.

He thought that the avoidance of expulsion was a sign that things would had gotten better from then on, but he couldn't see a future where Atem and the others were accepting of his presence, where he could enjoy one day without someone jumping on him, pushing and prodding until he snapped and then turned around blaming him. He almost believed that it was his fault. Yuugi's disappointed expression at his insults and Mariku pushing away the chance for their relationship to get out of the gutter, and into something more of respect than fear, plagued his thoughts, and Atem's words echoed like he was standing right beside him, reminding him of what a constant fuck up he was. The will to keep fighting was small, yet still there, but he didn't know if sheer will was enough this time to change people's minds. If it was enough to make people proud to call him a friend or a student or even a brother.

If Ishizu could had seen his behaviour towards Yuugi, would she still had been proud of him?

Slowly, he moved his head so that his nose wasn't buried in the clean sheets, allowing him to breathe once again as he panted softly. Half-lidded eyes stared at lamp on the bedside table, unmoving as he pulled the rest of his body on the bed, no longer having his legs dangle off uncomfortably. Not even bothering to get out of his school uniform, he wondered whether it was worth it to move and try to eat his food, rather opting to lie there and watch the night skies outside his uncovered windows. The navy blues and blacks replaced all sign of day, small dots that were faraway stars twinkling while the moon was out that night, a crescent shape sitting amongst the small dots and flashing lights of planes that were passing over the city to land in a nearby airport. The city glow, from the street lights and indoor lights within the buildings, did little to hide the simple beauty of nightfall.

From down near his feet, Mariku heard the door opening slowly. However, he didn't bother to see who it was, rather continuing to stare at the night sky while a voice, Mariku recognising it to be belonging to Malik, called out softly. "Hey, you still awake?"

"Yeah." Mariku grumbled, looking down at his bedroom door to see that Malik made no attempt to come into his space. Rather, the twin leaned against the doorframe, watching Mariku with an unwavering stare that set his teeth on edge, though he managed to control his temper as he slumped his head back against the pillow. "You can come in."

Taking the invitation, Malik entered the bedroom finally, shutting the bedroom door behind him in order to give him and his brother some needed privacy. Mariku didn't bother to move, his gaze moving from the clear window to the lamp that was still on, bathing the bedroom in a warm glow that kept the darkness at bay. Space by his feet dipped suddenly with Malik's weight. The silence was almost suffocating, though Mariku made no effort trying to strike up a conversation with Malik, leaving him to sit there while he kept his stomach from tearing itself apart from anxiety and starvation. Finally, he glanced at Malik, noticing that the light from the lamp bathed his tanned skin in a rich brown colour, looking warmer and healthier despite his clearly tired and unwell eyes dropping down to his hands resting in his lap.

"You wanna keep trying to lie to me, or are we gonna cut the shit and you tell me what's really wrong?" Mariku scoffed at Malik's choice of words, looking away from the other boy sitting there before thinking over his words. All the anger and doubt on his face washed away, rather leaving behind a downtrodden expression on Mariku's face.

Eventually, he broke the silence between them and admitted what happened. "I fucked up, okay?"

"How? Ishizu told me, Principal Kimura isn't going to expel you."

"It's not Principal Fuckf- Principal Kimura." Mariku corrected himself, groaning to himself as he pushed his body into a sitting up position. Back leaning against the wooden headboard of his bed, he lifted one knee up and rested his arm on top of it, staring into the distance while Malik waited in curiosity, unsure what had happened to shake Mariku's confidence like that. Slowly, he carried on in an annoyed tone. "I fucked it all up with Yuugi. Atem came back from Jonouchi's, saying something about him being ill, and he didn't react well to me being there."

"Mariku, what did you do?" Malik questioned him.

Glaring heavily, Mariku felt insulted that his brother would immediately jump to the conclusion that he would do something wrong. Admittedly, Malik had previous experience with the hotheaded teen, and knew multiple occasions where Mariku's temper issues had pushed him to blow up over seemingly little things, but that didn't make the accusation sting any less. "I didn't do anything. I wanted to, but I left instead. Didn't want everyone making a scene and for me to go do something stupid because I was angry."

"I wanna tell you that Atem will come around, but I think you know that's kinda bullshit. If I'm completely honest, I don't think you'll ever prove to Atem that you're no longer the person you were, especially after all the shit you did." Mariku internally made a note to find a better therapist than his brother, even if what he was saying made sense, though he was stunned when Malik continued in a more cheerful tone. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't give up. There's gonna be people in this world that don't like you, that's life, but you still have friends, and Yuugi's a good person. He'll understand what you're trying to do."

The mention of Yuugi caused Mariku's face to drop more. Sitting there in silence, he watched as Malik's smile faded away, replaced with confusion and uncertainty as he spoke up again. "Mariku, what's wrong?"

"I told Yuugi that it'd be best if we stayed away from each other." He admitted, adding when Malik sighed and shook his head in disbelief. "Look, it's better that he isn't around me anymore. You don't see how he gets sometimes. When I move, it's like he's afraid I'll just go back to who I was and start beating him up again. At least now, he can stay with his friends and I can stay with my own thing. No one needs to get fucked over."

"You can't run away when things get tough. If you really wanna turn things around and show everyone, you gotta know that some people'll latch on to the previous version of you and not wanna know. I wouldn't try to push Yuugi away after he's given you this chance, man." Mariku sat there in silence, mulling over what Malik was trying to say to him, his eyes falling down to the arm resting on top of his knee as he flexed his fingers.

"Hey…" He started, finally meeting Malik's eyes as he apologised. "I'm sorry. You know, for getting in your face just then."

"If I held every time you did that to me against you, I'd be surprised that I would want to be your brother." Malik joked, chuckling lightly to himself, though his smile faded when he saw that Mariku didn't feel up to laughing with him. Both of them sat there in silence, with only Malik's persistent coughing shattering the fragile veil before he kept quiet once more. With a huff, Malik threw himself backwards on Mariku's bed, his blonde locks flying everywhere as he laid there with a thoughtful look on his face. Mariku watched him, saying nothing as his twin made himself comfortable.

"Ryou's putting a movie on downstairs." Malik suddenly revealed, turning his head to Mariku as he offered. "You can come down with me and watch it. I'll be bunking over here tonight, anyway."

"I dunno."

"Amane made popcorn. I know you like it salty." Malik carried on, his voice getting higher in hopes that it would irritate Mariku into coming out of his lair and joining the rest of them for a movie night. Mariku stared down at him, eyes narrowed in annoyance, but even he had no chance against the appeal of salted popcorn and one of Ryou's horror movies. Forgetting all about the leftovers that he left abandoned on the nightstand, he sighed deeply and swung his long legs over the side of the bed, feeling the cold wooden floor send shivers up his legs as soon as his sock covered feet touch them.

Getting up, he turned to Malik, the teenage boy still lying there on the bed, and offered his hand to help him back up to his feet. "Alright. Get up."

Accepting the hand with a smile on his face, Malik had to right himself after Mariku pulled too hard, almost sending his brother flying off the bed and end up in a heap on the bedroom floor. Though he managed to stand on his own two feet, Malik was sure to give Mariku an annoyed look before the both of them left the bedroom to make their ways down the stairs towards the living room. While lurking on the stairway, Mariku paused, letting Malik go on in front of him, as he stared at the open doorway leading into the living room. The bright glow from the living room light was gone, rather a blue tinted white flickering on the floor with the room itself covered in darkness. Following after Malik down the rest of the stairs, he came into the living room nervously, not really wanting to face anyone after his brief meltdown just before.

Bakura was the first to notice, sitting in his favourite chair with his arm propped up on the chair's arm, resting the side of his face in his palm as he looked up at his best friend. Much to Mariku's relief, he didn't say anything about before and asked. "You joining us for the movie?"

"Yeah, wouldn't wanna miss one of creampuff's lil horror movies." Mariku joked, turning to sit down on the couch and enjoy the movie that had already started. With Ryou, Amane and Malik on the couch already, it was a squeeze getting in, and Mariku ended up in the middle with Amane's leg resting on his lap, Malik leaning against his shoulder and Ryou bundled up at the end in his blanket.

His face was barely visible under the makeshift hood of his blanket over his head, only his pale nose lighting up from the glow of the TV. After nearly being kicked in his sack multiple times from Amane adjusting herself, he glared at her and quietly threatened that he'd swap places if she didn't stop nearly sacking him, enjoying the peace when she finally found a position that was comfortable for her. The movie must've been a new one, Mariku never seeing it amongst the numerous DVD cases that were arranged neatly in the TV stand under the huge TV. There was always something about those vintage dolls that freaked him out, recalling Ishizu having a doll when she was a child after asking their father for months, eventually getting one for her tenth birthday.

Those unblinking eyes stared at him, and whenever he tried to sleep, he'd hear that creepy ass voice whenever Ishizu squeezed the doll in her sleep. After a few months of dealing with it, the doll 'mysteriously' went missing, by Mariku taking it and chucking the thing in a pit that he was pretty sure had a few venomous vipers in there. Even though he tried to hide his innocence, his father and sister were too clever to fall for his rouse, and so he had to spend the day down in the cellar for destroying someone else's possessions. He hated that cellar. Cold and damp with rats scurrying around, he was surprised that younger Mariku didn't get bit and die from some horrible disease.

At least the possessed doll in the movie was pretty funny. Based in a mental institution, Mariku watched through half lidded eyes as the main character incarcerated in the institution had to prove that the doll was real, with everyone she meets reacting with disbelief or aggression, save for one dude who had multiple personalities. It was pretty strange. Everyone around him said nothing, knowing that Ryou would get annoyed with people interrupting his movie, but Mariku could see that Bakura was getting bored. Fluffy hair falling in front of his half closed eyes, he looked like he was minutes away from falling asleep while people screamed in pain and panic on the TV in front of him. Mariku shared the feeling, finding none of the jumpscares all that scary or the gore scenes really that bad, except maybe the bit where one of the nurses were killed by the doll and his friends.

Shame. A pressure built on Mariku's shoulder, his eyes moving away from the half asleep Bakura to see what was going on, only to see that Malik had fallen asleep during the movie, his head resting against Mariku's shoulder with long blonde locks falling in front of his eyes, covering up his upper face from view. He looked somewhat peaceful. Given that Malik didn't like sleeping in the dark, his brother was surprised to find him actually asleep with nothing more than the TV on to give him light. With warmth all around him, the urge to fall asleep there was strong, and with the movie proving lackluster for Mariku, he decided to catch a few with his head leaning against Malik's, feeling that soft hair brushing against the skin of his cheek as he settled down.

With the movie playing on in the background, Mariku's eyes closed fully, his body relaxing into the cushions of the couch he was sitting on, his face resting against Malik's head, using it as a pillow while he slowly drifted off into deep sleep. It was nice, sitting amongst friends and family while watching a movie. No arguing, no curses or things being destroyed or thrown about. No moments of blind rage with Mariku pushed over the edge. Even after the little slip up before, he felt calmer sitting there, knowing that what Malik was saying before made sense, about him and Yuugi. If he wanted to show people that he had changed, he wouldn't be able to do that with running away and pushing people away from him in fear that he would lose his temper and do something stupid.

He just hoped that Yuugi was willing to move on from his argument.

By the time the movie had ended, nearly everyone was asleep from either boredom or tiredness. Amane, upon seeing the time, said goodnight to everyone and disappeared up the stairs to her bedroom, the sound of the door closing echoing in the empty space. Being pulled out from his deep sleep, Mariku lifted his head up slowly, groaning at the uncomfortable pressure in his neck, rubbing it with his hand while glancing around the living room. The light was turned back on, causing everyone else to wake up with their eyes scrunching up in pain, Bakura trying to cover them while he got used to being awake. His hair was sticking out in multiple directions, stiff and messy as he tried to run a hand through it. Even Malik himself woke up with the sudden appearance of the stinging living room light, his eyes blinking open before he squinted immediately.

"Movie already over?" He mumbled, rubbing his mouth to get rid of the spit that dribbled out while he slept. Mariku sighed in relief when the pressure was removed from his shoulder, stretching out his arms until he felt the joints pop, all while Malik sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Yep, that one was pretty interesting." Ryou pointed out, getting up to his feet with his blanket having fallen to around his shoulders, almost like a cape covering his entire body.

Mariku chuckled at that, rubbing the small part of his back while replying in a humoured tone. "It kinda sucked, creampuff. That doll was creepy as fuck, though."

"Well, that was… something." Bakura piped up, getting up from his chair and stretching out as he sighed. "I'm going to bed. You alright with the couch tonight, Malik?"

"He can bunk with me. I got a double bed, anyway." Mariku offered, still stretching out after those couple of hours uncomfortably cramped on the couch. Bakura said nothing, instead staring at the twins with an eyebrow raised, waiting for Malik to voice his opinion.

Shrugging, Malik nodded in agreement. "That sounds alright with me."

"Alright, then. See you guys in the morning." With that, Bakura left the group to disappear up the stairs, retreating to his bedroom while the others got ready for bed. Mariku was quick to go back upstairs, feeling exhausted after the long day at school. Malik was right behind him, keeping close as darkness covered the whole house with Ryou turning off the lights for the night, holding onto the back of Mariku's shirt for comfort and to make sure he didn't bump into him in the dark.

The lamp was still on when they entered his room, a source of comfort for Malik as he followed in after Mariku. Collapsing on his bed, he mentally debated with himself whether it was worth it getting changed into his bed clothes, listening as Ryou called into their room. "Goodnight, guys."

"Night, Ryou." Malik replied, stripping off his shirt to get ready for bed. Mariku kept staring at the wall, both for giving Malik privacy to change and because it was weird watching his sibling get undressed in front of him, slowly plucking at the buttons of his school shirt while Malik piped up. "Aren't you getting changed?"

"Eh." That was all Mariku said, lifting his upper body off the bed so that he could shed the shirt off of him. Suddenly, he felt a pair of pyjama pants being thrown at his head, a leg hanging over his face as he frowned deeply.

"Here. Get changed." Malik ordered, changing into his own pyjamas with a bag having been brought up that Mariku didn't notice before. Pulling the pyjamas off his head, he tossed his shirt at the corner of his room, watching the fabric collapse into a pitiful state before changing his school pants for the pyjama pants that Malik felt inclined to toss at his head. The fabric was worn, yet still soft to the touch,comfortable enough for Mariku as he slinked under the duvet.

Wrapping himself up in a protective cacoon, Mariku felt the bed behind him dip with Malik's weight, his twin settling down in his bed silently. After some moments where he shuffled about trying to find the most comfortable position for him, all went still, with the two lying there waiting for sleep to take them again. Mariku just stared ahead, noticing the leftovers that he completely forgot about before. He'd eat it tomorrow. It should be fine a few more hours. The quiet was peaceful, with the city life carrying on outside with people working nights and enjoying themselves at late night clubs echoing through the window. Car horns and shouting also joined them, Mariku wondering what was going on out there to cause so much ruckus.

Malik had said nothing, likely having fallen asleep as soon as his head hit that pillow, though Mariku wouldn't know considering his brother didn't snore. Staying put in his curled up position, he closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would come quickly. The school week was exhausting, especially after the terrible start with Nakamura and the whole expulsion thing weighing heavily over his head, but that was in the past. Now, Mariku could do what Rin advised him to do and keep his head down, trying to study for the exams that were lurking about next April. However, sleep had other plans as he laid there in the bed, unable to get to sleep even after trying for what felt like hours.

Turning so that he was lying on his back, he stared up at the ceiling, trying to will himself to fall asleep and yet only achieving getting bored with staring at the white paint that coated the ceiling above. Counting sheep, trying multiple positions, getting something to drink and then coming back to bed, it made very little difference while Mariku carried on lying there. Malik, on the other hand, was away peacefully, breathing faintly as the duvet over his body rose and fell with each breath he took. Mariku turned his head to look at him, staring at the closed eyes and the markings inked into his cheeks, his own hand subconsciously moving up to rub his own. Pushing the skin around, he finally left his cheeks alone and dropped his arms back to his side over the duvet, sighing deeply as sleep continued to elude him.

One sheep, two sheep.

He counted them in his head. Unwavering eyes stared up at the ceiling, before he slowly closed them again in a desperate attempt to sleep.

Three sheep, four sheep.

His breathing slowed, his tired brain shutting down for the night and Mariku eventually feeling himself drift off into a deeper sleep, listening to nothing but life outside Bakura's home carrying on without him.

Five sheep, six sheep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the late update but my motivation to write this chapter tanked. I only really got back on it because I saw the first review I got and it gave me the motivation to keep going because I saw that someone actually was interested in this story. Thank you, and don't forget to leave a review, even if it's only small, to help fanfic writers keep doing what they love!


	8. Past Scars Never Heal

Weekends brought much relief and time for relaxation to the worn students, tired after the week before spent with heads stuck in books and trying to make sense of what was being thrown at them, but it was also a time where all the homework that was accumulating had to be done for the next week. Rather than hiding in his room to stew in his confusion and frustration towards the homework, Mariku was convinced by Malik and Bakura to come out and join them in a short session to finish their work. All of them sat in the living room, papers left spewed over the coffee table and their own little space in the room that they laid claim to; Bakura sitting in his chair, Malik sitting on the floor near the TV with his back to it, and Mariku taking the whole space of the couch for his multiple Science papers.

He'd much rather be doing his Art coursework. With Biology finished a couple of days ago, he was stuck with Physics, looking down at the questions and diagrams provided with a blank stare. Elasticity and objects being deformed, that was the jist of what he could understand with the question, and something about a law that rendered his brain to mush when he tried to put everything together. Peeking up from his papers, he saw that Malik was having none of the trouble with his own work. Rather, he sat there with pen propped on his ear, balancing there while he flipped through his textbooks and carry on with his homework, unaware of the trouble that his twin was in sitting there.

Mariku could've asked the others for help. Sitting there, he entertained the idea, but his pride got in the way, scolding him for suggesting such a thing, and completely overriding his common sense. He managed to ask Nakamura for help yesterday, so why was asking his friend and brother any different? Malik was smart, easily passing his tests with A's and getting praise from the teachers and students alike. Mariku was stunned when he realised that he was recalling that with bitterness and jealousy lurking deep within. He shouldn't be jealous of Malik, the two were brothers and he always proved to be there for Mariku when he needed it, even if sometimes it was too much to handle.

Yet, Malik always had praise, and Mariku was shoved back to let his twin bask in their father's approval. Frowning deeply, he brushed off the idea of getting Malik to help him, rather sitting there staring at his papers while an open textbook was left discarded at the end of the couch. His father always told them to do things on their own, to prove that they were smart enough and man enough to be able to fix their own problems. That was exactly what Mariku would do.

"You know, you coulda gone with Ryou and your friends before." Bakura piped up, addressing Malik as the latter looked up from his textbook. Having left his work alone for a second, he leaned against the arm of his chair, his cheek pressed into the palm of his hand while he shrugged. "Knowing you, you would've had that work done by the end of today too."

"I'd rather have it all done now so I can relax for the rest of the weekend. Besides, Jonouchi still looked like crap and I didn't want to sit in the burger place listening to him complain of a sore throat while eating that disgusting food." Malik wrinkled up his nose, his distaste of the burgers and food served at Jonouchi's favourite hangout place clear to anyone as he added with a disgusted tone. "All that greasy crap. I'm pretty sure they deep fry the salad just to mess with you, as well."

"Do they even serve salad at that place?" Bakura questioned, sharing the same sentiment with greasy food as Malik. Even though he'd eat a whole cow to himself, Bakura was pretty particular on what was going on with his food, hating people who tried to serve him poncy food with tiny portions that couldn't even feed a child.

Malik chuckled at that, flipping through a page of his textbook and writing down answers on his mock exam paper. "I dunno, I don't even really eat there. I just sit there while Yuugi and Jounouchi stuff their faces with burgers."

"Sounds delightful." Bakura shot back in a sarcastic tone, earning a grin from Mariku as he tried to concentrate on his work. Those two could carry on with their chatter, considering they were nearly finished with most of their work and he himself was stuck a few pages in. The first question was the easiest, even Mariku able to get it with ease, but as soon as he turned the page, he was greeted with harder questions that left him stumped. It looked like he would have to look through his textbook if he were to get the more challenging topics in the subject.

"Besides, I'll have to miss out hanging around with them at the burger place when Ramadan starts." Malik sighed, pausing in his writing when Bakura hummed in response. Mariku too left his work when he heard about the month of fasting, glancing up at Malik as his brother suddenly asked him. "Are you joining us this year?"

Huffing quietly, he tapped his pen against his knee and shook his head, replying in a bitter tone. "I ain't starving myself for some religion I don't believe in."

"Dude, you could at least phrase it more respectfully." Bakura pointed out.

"It's fine. Mariku doesn't believe in it, so it wouldn't make sense for him to go through Ramadan with us, but fuck me, you can be a real asshole about this sometimes." Malik groaned, scribbling something down while Mariku leaned back on the couch, feeling the cushion propped up on the back of the couch dipping in under his weight.

"Why do you guys even go through with it? Fasting, not being able to eat pork or drink, it's fucking boring." He questioned, knowing that his way of phrasing pushed Malik's buttons. The other twin glared at him, knowing that he was doing it to get a rise out of him, but he was unable to stop himself with his religion being insulted.

"It's a spiritual time, you idiot. It's not like we go the whole month without eating or drinking ever, considering we'd end up dead after a week." He explained, his grip on his pen tightening while Mariku raised an eyebrow in surprise. He'd never seen Malik getting worked up over anything, rather using his words to cut people down rather than physical violence that Mariku himself leaned towards.

"You ain't meant to get tattoos either," Mariku started, rubbing his cheek while adding viciously. "Didn't stop the old man though, did it?"

"Guys, come on, this is getting out of hand." Bakura tried to butt in, unwilling to let the brothers carry on arguing when he saw that Mariku was starting to lose it. His temper fraying, he wanted to coldly hurt Malik to get back at him, though the reasons for this rivalry were lost in his mind with the rage taking over. Ignoring Bakura's words, Mariku shoved his work off his lap, getting up to his feet and retreating back to the kitchen, eager to get something to drink. With no alcohol left in the house to help manage his alcoholism, he was forced to down some of the juice that was left in the fridge, feeling the refreshing fluid go down his throat as he gasped quietly.

Out of the confrontation, his mind was able to ease up and the guilt over his harsh words hit him. What hurt more was the words swarming around that he wanted to say yet didn't, the utter vileness and disrespectful attitude he showed to his brother caused him to groan to himself, leaning against the kitchen counter with his face in his hands. From beside him, he heard footsteps approach the kitchen, pausing in the archway while a voice called out. "Is this really about Ramadan, Mariku?"

"What're you talking about?" He responded, his voice muffled with his hands still covering the entirety of his face.

"Every time someone brings up something from our past, you get aggressive about it." Malik explained, staying in the archway as he carried on. "We've dealt with some shit, I ain't gonna deny that, but this is my choice. I'm doing this because it's who I am, not because our father forced it on us. I've moved on from all that."

"Really? You still sleep with a night light on because you're terrified of the dark after our dad shoved you in a cellar for any small misbehaviour. I saw you push yourself to the brink trying to get top marks on all your work, to the point where you've broken down, all because our dad wouldn't accept anything less." Mariku pointed out, that anger and hate towards the missing old man boiling over as he shouted. "Don't fucking come at me and tell me that you moved on, when everything points to the exact opposite! He's still there, Malik, right in your fucking mind! Even when he's thousands of miles away back in Egypt!"

Malik said nothing, stunned with the hurt form Mariku's words appearing on his face. Realising what he just done, Mariku's enraged expression dropped and instead shock at what he said replaced it, his voice dropping as he tried to apologise. "Oh, shit. Malik, I'm so sorr-"

"Save it. I don't wanna hear." Malik interrupted coldly, turning around and storming out of the room to the hallway. Mariku couldn't move from where he stood, listening to the front door slam as Malik left the house, likely going off somewhere to calm down after their argument. The horrible feeling in his stomach made him want to vomit, especially when Bakura got up and stared at him from his chair, shaking his head softly with a deep frown on his face. Rushing off to try to catch up to Malik, he slammed the door behind him, and left Mariku all alone in the house.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Everywhere felt numb, the world seemingly slowing down as Mariku stood there with a blank expression on his face, his eyes glazing over as he felt his brain screaming at him over what he just said. He fucked up. Malik didn't deserve that, and with Yuugi as well, he realised that he was pushing everyone away again. If he kept that way, he'd be all alone. iUnable to stomach standing there, alone in the house, he wrenched the backdoor open and rushed out into the garden, desperate for fresh air. The usual summer day was grey, rain clouds gathering around as a light shower fell down from the skies, not enough to push him to stay out of the rain and in the dry of the house. The feeling of the raindrops went unnoticed on his bare skin, his black tank top barely covering any of his shoulders or his arms, leaving them out to get wet from the poor weather.

Sitting down on the wooden desk, his feet pressed into the dirt and grass of the rest of the garden, he rested his arms on his knees and stared blankly ahead, wondering where Bakura and Malik had gone to. The look on Malik's face when he let rip into him stuck to his mind like a bad rash, unable to shake free while that dreaded guilt tore away in his lower abdomen, his harsh words echoing in the back of his thoughts, along with bringing up the past while Malik was trying to move on from it. God, he felt like such an asshole. WIth his face in his hands, he didn't move as the weather worsened, the once light shower growing into heavy rainfall, soaking through his tank top and pants as he kept sitting there. Any care for getting soaked and likely ending up with a cold was pushed away, Mariku unable to see how Malik would come back and accept his apologies.

He knew that he went to far. The thought of his father spurred such anger and bitterness that he thought he had locked away, but he didn't feel right blaming everything wrong with him on his past and his father. At least he wasn't there with the family anymore, left behind in Egypt likely to die as a lonely and pathetic old man, and that in itself brought a smile to Mariku's face whenever he remembered that. However, he didn't feel like smiling in victory over the old fuck, sitting there with his hands moving down his face, curses muttered under his breath as the rain continued to fall. Freezing winds blew through, causing his tanned skin to shiver with small goosebumps appearing all along his arms.

He could've just gone inside again, yet he didn't. Mariku didn't know why he refused to move from his spot on the deck. Rather, he braved out the weather with his hands rubbing his arms, trying to get warmth and feeling back into the frozen flesh. Clothes soaking wet and hair dripping with water weighing it down, Mariku finally took the hint and went back inside, finding that his temper had fizzled out and rather left him remorseful. Silence was all that greeted him, Bakura and Malik having not returned from their storming out, and so Mariku just left his work alone and retreated upstairs, eager to get out of his soaking clothes. Footsteps echoed in the empty space, Mariku reaching the top of the stairs and lurking into his bedroom, ignoring the open door leading into Amane's bedroom. She wasn't there either, having left that morning to go to her friend's house for a sleepover.

In his bedroom, he spent very little time there, simply grabbing some new clothes from his suitcase and retreating into the bathroom that was at the end of the hallway. Safely in the room, he locked the door, giving him privacy within the bathroom to get washed and changed. Stripping off his sodden clothes, he tossed them in the laundry hamper left in the corner of the room and turned to the shower. Hot water poured out when he turned the knob, steam starting to build up in the room similar to a sauna, the heat a welcome than the bitter cold of outside. The window by the shower was frosted, Mariku unable to see much out of it save for the grey skies and the rain droplets hitting the glass pane, sliding down while the hot steam caused the window to fog up even more.

A sink was situated near the window, with the toilet next to it in the corner, a medicine cabinet hung over with a mirror built into the cover, showing Mariku's reflection as he glanced at it for a moment. Finally, he stepped into the glass column and closed the door, trapping the steam and heat within it as the hot water fell down on him from the shower head above. Blistering heat coloured his skin a darkened red compared to his usual tanned look, his face flushed as his body tried to handle the sudden change in temperature. Wild blond hair drooped down with the water hitting it, causing it to fall down in long locks running down his back, similar to how Malik wore his hair. It was eerie how similar they looked with Mariku having his hair down like that, though his bangs and locks were longer with it reaching past his shoulder blades.

Just standing there, he made no effort to grab the shampoo from the holder drilled into the wall to his left, rather leaning his head against the cool tiled wall and closing his eyes. Warmth engulfed his senses, hot steam being breathed in and cooking his lungs as his heartbeat could be heard over the thunderous roar of water in his ears. Soon, the heat started to become suffocating, different from the blistering sun that he was used to back in Egypt. This heat was different, humid, and his body found it more difficult to keep him cool as he refused to turn the temperature down. Pain radiated from his shoulders and back, likely scalded from the hot water and going to blister when he would later check on them. Still, he didn't bother to move or turned the cold water knob, wanting to feel something other than the anxiety and numbness. He deserved it.

It must had been a while that he was standing there, burning his own skin with the scalding water, as he heard knocking on the door and Bakura's voice calling out. "You in there, Mariku?"

"Yeah. Just… fuck, just give me a sec!" He yelled, pulling his head away from the wall and finally turning the water off. Moving about brought sudden jolts of pain from his burnt skin on his back and shoulders, a small groan of agony leaving his throat as he tried to move around while exiting the shower. Opening the door, a wash of cold air hit him full force, causing him to shiver violently that just made his back ache more. Once he managed to get out of the shower, he rested against the sink, gasping to himself as his arms shook with the pain, fingers digging into the polished marble sink in an attempt to deal with the worsening agony on his back.

The bandages left wrapped around his hand were soaking wet, Mariku tearing them off and leaving them in the small bin beside the sink. Without them covering up his hand, he could clearly see the small wounds caused by punching out the window at the beginning of the week, though they had managed to heal up into scabs over the course of the week, much to Mariku's relief.

"Fuck, fuck, shit, fuck." He muttered to himself, staring up at his reflection in the mirror in front of him. His hair was soaking wet, bangs hanging further down in front of squinted lavender eyes that twitched with each wave of pain hitting him, his teeth gritting together so hard that they threatened to crack under the pressure, forcing him to ease up on his jaw.

He could've opened the cabinet door to search for some pain killers, but after last time when he fell unconscious, his body retched at the thought of going through that again, and so he forced himself to deal with it with getting on with drying himself off. There he realised that it wasn't just the whole of his back scalded from the water, the back of his thighs and calves were sore to the touch as he tried to be as careful as possible, dabbing the reddened skin with the towel before carrying on with his arms and front of his body, both of which were thankfully out of the way of the water when he was in the shower. Saving his back until last, he gritted his teeth again as he tried to be as careful as possible, but with every brush of the towel on the sensitive skin, another jolt of agony ripped through him like wildfire.

Pure agony that made his body tense up and yelps of pain barely contained in his throat. Much to his relief, it didn't take long to dry him up enough that he could put his new clothes on, slipping a grey hoodie on to cover up his burns. When the fabric touched his back, he grunted in pain, trying to hide it under a neutral expression when, finally fully clothed, he unlocked the door and exited the bathroom. Bakura was stood opposite the door, leaning against the railing that stopped anyone from falling onto the stairs below. Arms crossed and face stern, he didn't waste any time in telling Mariku what happened. "Malik's gone home. What you said really hurt him, man."

"I didn't mean to say it. I just…" He paused, unsure what he wanted to tell Bakura. Leaving his true reasons out of the conversation, he sighed and rubbed the back of his head, his dried hair sticking out wildly yet not as much as his usual hairstyle. "I fucked up. I gotta go apologise."

"I'd leave him alone for now, but it's good that you know what you've done wrong." Bakura pointed out, uncrossing his arms and instead pushing himself off the railing behind him, letting his arms hang by his sides while adding. "Rishid's birthday is tomorrow. Malik still wants you to go over and be there for the family dinner."

"Yeah, yeah, sure. I'll be there." Mariku nodded, trying to move when pain caused him to pause, his poker face failing him as his eyes closed briefly, trying to push the agony away before Bakura noticed what was wrong. Fate was against him, as Bakura noticed immediately with his expression changing from stern to concerned instantly.

Unable to get away and hide in his room, Mariku was cut off by Bakura, the latter asking in a quiet tone while stopping the other from slipping by. "What's wrong? You look like you're in pain."

Mariku stayed silent, unwilling to say what he did in fear that Bakura would judge him for the moment of weakness. The emptiness was too much to handle. Standing there, he felt even worse when Bakura's worry worsened, his eyes slightly widened as he carried on questioning him. "What did you do?"

There was no getting out of this. Taking in a deep breath to calm his nerves and push the pain away, Mariku confessed in a low tone, trying to keep his face blank with the agony getting worse and worse by the second. "I burnt myself."

"Shit. Go in there." Bakrua ordered, guiding Mariku into his bedroom in order to get a better look at what happened. Closing the door behind him, he appeared in Mariku's sight again as he walked around him, stopping right in front of the taller teenager while instructing him softly. "Take your hoodie off."

Mariku really didn't want to. Both because it hurt like hell with the fabric constantly brushing against his tender flesh and because he didn't want Bakura to see what he did. However, Bakura was as stubborn as he was, standing there strong while Mariku's resolve slowly crumbled with each beating he got from the pain, and finally he sighed to himself. Slowly, as to not hurt himself more, he grabbed the bottom of his hoodie and pulled upwards, pulling the clothing inside out and up over his head, showing off his chest and back to Bakura. If this was any other time, he'd be embarrassed with a face flushed like a tomato with stripping in front of his best friend, but his brain was exhausted from pain and dealing with his broken emotional state, so he barely reacted beyond dropping the hoodie to the floor and turning around.

As soon as Bakura saw the damage, a sharp intake of breath was what Mariku heard, along with his friend cursing quietly. "Shit, Mariku, you've burnt your skin to hell."

Cold hands on burnt skin was a recipe for disaster, Mariku letting out a loud yelp of pain and trying to jump away from the contact. Bakura retracted his hands, stunned with the reaction he got, but soon took control of the situation again as he guided Mariku to the bed. Letting him lie face first on the mattress, he quickly left the room, leaving Mariku there to wonder what he had gone off to do. Without the fabric brushing against his back, he welcomed the cold air cooling the skin down, finding that his thighs were faring better than his back was. In the background, he could hear someone moving about, trying to look over his shoulder to see where on Earth Bakura had gotten himself up to.

Eventually, he noticed the other teenage boy exiting the bathroom with something in his hand, the injured boy unsure what it was until Bakura came into the room again. A first aid box tucked under his arm, Mariku watched warily while Bakura explained. "Don't move. I need to see how bad the burn is."

Obeying, Mariku laid down as still as he could, wincing when something cold was applied to his back, unwilling to move to see what it was while Bakura continued to patch him up. Hands dug into the duvet at the worst of it, the pain causing him to bit down on his pillow in order to cope, though he still managed to listen as Bakura spoke up. "Mariku, you're gonna have to go to hospital with this. You've burnt yourself badly."

"I'm not going." He growled, unwilling to go back to that place. Questions about what he did, judging looks and people telling him how lucky he was to have his family and friends, or wondering how he could be depressed with such a great life, or worse, if they were to induct him into a mental hospital. They were his worst nightmares.

Bakura wouldn't let him be, however, pushing him further as he kept trying to convince the injured teen about what would happen. "You can't just let this get worse. It could get infected or anything, we need to get you to hospital."

"I've done worse than this and I never needed to go to the hospital. I can patch myself up, it'll be fine." He continued to reject, trying to sit up before collapsing face first into the pillow, unable to move with his back screaming at him in agony. Forced to lay there, he heard Bakura sigh behind him, before feeling hands helping him up supportively, allowing him to try again and manage to get up into a sitting up position.

"If you're not going to hospital, fine, but at least let me patch you up." Bakura offered. Mariku thought about it, knowing that it would take some effort to wrap the bandages and the gauze around his back with his arms laying there uselessly. Slowly, he nodded, giving his best friend permission to start treating the burn on his back. With another quick look at his back, he listened as Bakura hummed deeply. "I'm gonna need a bigger gauze for this burn. Hang on, I think I got what I need somewhere."

Getting back to his feet, he walked back out of the bedroom and, instead of disappearing into the bathroom again, he walked down the stairs. Left alone in the room, Mariku listened to the sound of rain hitting his bedroom window, staring out of the window to see that the clouds were growing darker, another storm threatening to hit them again this week. His body ignored any order that his brain gave it, the pain almost too much for him to move about, and so he was stuck, lying there with his cheek pressed up against the pillow. Soaking wet hair dripped down on his pillow, soaking the fabric while he was unable to go and dry his head off. So, he laid there, the skin of his face getting uncomfortably wet from the pillow, a few droplets of water dripping down his face from his front bangs.

Eventually, he heard footsteps coming back up the stairs, slowly moving his head to see what was going on. Bakura had returned with more medical supplies, making his way to the bed while Mariku tried to sit up, managing to push through the brief break of pain and get up from the lying down position on the bed. It was coming in waves, with moments of peace before he was hit by high intensity of agony, causing his eyes to twitch in response while staring at what Bakura had gathered. Looked like bandages and a gauze, something that they would have lying around in hospitals, but Bakura just explained softly while putting the gauze against his back. "I started keeping hold of this stuff after I found you on my doorstep with your arm sliced open."

Oh, yeah. Mariku recalled the incident slightly, unable to get through the fog obscuring the memory completely but remembering it being from his old gang, after he cut ties to them. Unable to recall the start of the fight, or the reasons for it, all he could remember was collapsing at Bakura's front door, bleeding heavily and unable to drag himself back home to patch himself up. It must had been a slash from a knife, given that the scar that remained was a long and jagged one that wrapped around the upper part of his arm, usually hidden away by the sleeves of his shirts and is only usually on display when he wears his favourite tank tops. After seeing Bakura's horrified expression and passing out, the next memory jumped to him waking up in his best friend's bed, able to have dodged the hospital again.

Soft fabric touching his back stung terribly, Mariku breathing heavily as he tried to control himself while Bakura patched him up. With bandages wrapping around him to keep the gauze in place, he carried on listened as Bakura sighed. "You never told me how you ended up like that, by the way."

"You didn't need to know. It happened, and now it's over." Mariku brushed off, unwilling to drag Bakura into ancient history. With the burn covered up, and whatever Bakura rubbed on his back starting to work its magic, Mariku heard his friend hum in response. The both of them sat there in silence, with the white haired teen working away making sure that the gauze and bandages didn't slip down when Mariku moved about, while the other watched the weather continue to worsen outside his window.

Finally, Bakura's busied hands moved away and Mariku flexed slowly, testing the bandages wrapped around his abdomen and chest while his friend explained. "Be careful, your back will still be sore from the burns."

"Yeah, alright. Thanks." Mariku replied quietly, standing up slowly from his bed. Spotting his phone sitting on the nightstand, still plugged in and charging, he plucked it up from in his hand and opened his messages. Against his better judgement, and Bakura's advice, he typed out an apology to Malik and sent it to him, before casually sitting back down on his bed. After everything that happened, he didn't feel up to coming out of his room, bringing his legs up and resting them on the bed by Bakura, who hadn't moved from his spot all of that time.

With the silence between them growing, Bakura suddenly flopped back on the bed, his hair going everywhere as he stared up at the ceiling. Mariku was unsure what he was thinking, unable to decipher the thoughtful expression on the other's face. It had always been like that, with Bakura's deeper feelings locked away from everyone else, including Mariku, no one sure what he was truly feeling past that blank expression he often wore. Softly, he turned his head to Mariku, his bangs drooping in front of those narrowed brown eyes, and broke the silence between them. "I can hazard a guess and say that you aren't in the mood to carry on with our coursework."

"If you got stuff to do, you can go and do it." Mariku pointed out, unable to shake the feeling that Bakura had started to babysit him again after the burn incident. Everytime something happened, Bakura would then latch onto him like one of those leeches, refusing to budge until he was certain Mariku would be fine on his own again, and while he appreciated the thought, he found the behaviour annoying at best, suffocating at worst. "I might just take a nap and carry on tonight or something."

Bakura paused, making no move to get off the bed and leave the room to resume his homework. Eyes glancing around, as if he tried to think of a reason to stay in the room, his voice had none of the frustration or the disappointment that it had before with Malik, rather gentle, as he suggested. "We could watch a movie. I was watching a good one on my laptop last night."

More black and white crap. Mariku wanted to reject, sending Bakura on his way so that he had some time to himself, but the thought of just him and Bakura hanging out without his siblings around was almost too good to dismiss, so he nodded in response. It was easy to miss, but he managed to catch the corners of Bakura's lips lift into sort of a smile, it gone as quickly as it appeared when the teenager got up to his feet and disappeared out of the room to grab the laptop. Left alone, Mariku got himself more comfortable, pulling the pillows up so that his back wasn't pressed against the uncomfortable wooden headboard. For a brief moment, his back stung when he pressed it against the pillow, causing Mariku to flinch away for a moment before forcing himself to relax back into it, feeling the fabric sink under his weight.

Soon enough, Bakura reappeared in the bedroom, the laptop that was usually left on the coffee table in the living room in his arms. Taking it when given to him, Mariku lifted the top up and turned it on, staring at the dark screen before it flashed up with the booting up screen. Waiting impatiently, he didn't say anything when Bakura shuffled across the bottom of the bed, his feet moving about where the bed dipped under the other teen, and kept staring at the screen when Bakura finally reached the top of the bed, sitting to his right with another pillow propped up to stop the headboard from poking him in the back.

When the login screen appeared, Mariku found the laptop suddenly disappearing from his lap, staring at the empty space with a blank expression before turning his head to Bakura, finding him typing in the password quickly before logging into the computer. With him finding the movie, Mariku sat there like a wet paper towel, unsure what to do until he found the laptop on his lap again, the movie starting to play fullscreen. Bored with the idea of watching the black and white film, he started to slowly shut down mentally before he recognised the movie that was playing. It was the one that he watched with his family because Malik nearly fainted with the pit of snakes. True Grit, or whatever its name was.

Who knew Bakura liked that film too.

After watching it for a few minutes, Mariku piped up nonchalantly. "You know they remastered this."

"I know, but I prefer the original. They have a sorta look." Bakura shrugged.

"Yeah, a shit look." Mariku snorted, earning a glare from his friend that kept him quiet while they carried on watching the film. It was sorta cosy, sitting in the warm room with the rain pelting down against the window, the sound echoing in the background while the movie continued to play in front of them. With no sun getting through the darkened clouds, the whole room darkened considerably, the bright shine from Bakura's laptop lighting up their faces, Mariku finding his eyes burning slightly from the light before getting used to it.

The Wild West was an awesome place in his mind. Wondering what it would've been like to live during that time, with all the saloons and cowboys having gunfights with their funny looking hats and face full of stubble, Mariku smirked at the thought of himself in one of those outfits, even though he never rode a horse in his life. He had seen them, wandering around the green fields when he came to Japan, though he doubted that he could ride one over the vast landscapes that he saw the cowboys do. It must've been comfortable as hell. Then there was the wildlife, like the rattlesnakes and coyotes, and the _heat,_ he couldn't handle being stuck in it for hours while galloping across the West. Egypt was bad enough, and even then he spent most of his time during his childhood in his house, unable to go out because his father was constantly punishing him for his behaviour.

Yet again, the more he punished Mariku, the more he would do it in spite, ending up in a harsh battle between father and son.

"You know that cowboys were only about for around thirty years?" Bakura suddenly piped up, grabbing Mariku's attention as he sat there, arms crossed over his chest as he nodded to Mariku's raised eyebrow. "Yep, and they aren't the typical outlaws that you think they are."

"Wait, so they didn't go around to bars and start fights?" Mariku asked, feeling disappointment over the revelation over the interesting time period.

"No, they rarely had fights at all, and it didn't help that the cities that they drove cattle into had pretty strict laws around guns." The white haired teen explained, knowing exactly what he was doing while Mariku frowned deeply. All his thoughts about the Wild West were ruined, the ideas of badass gunslingers that came riding into town with their guns and those that held up trains or coaches in search of riches. What could was being a cowboy if they had to follow all the boring rules, and not even be allowed to carry _guns_ in the cities?

"Whatever, they have cool hats anyway." He brushed off, staring at the cool hat that the man following the main protagonist was wearing. If he could ignore Bakura for the rest of the film, he wouldn't ruin the idealised view of the Wild West that he hung onto stubbornly. Real life was boring.

Silence fell between them after that, the both of them watching the film while sitting there. Even though it was the older version, Mariku found himself still interested in the film, finding that they kept a lot of the stuff the same as the remastered version that he watched, and eventually, the dreaded snake pit scene came around. Grateful that Malik wasn't there to complain about the snakes and ruin the movie, Mariku watched as the girl in the film was bit by the snake, keeping quiet while Bakura sat there, staring at the scene while wincing at the moment the snake struck. It was a small, involuntary action, but Mariku felt it with his friend starting to lean against his arm, glancing over at him with a confused expression on his face.

Noticing that he was being stared at, Bakura glanced away from the screen up to the blonde, muttering under his breath. "I'm not a big fan of snakes."

"Really? They don't do shit. You just leave them alone and they're perfectly fine with you."

"Didn't Malik get bit by a snake when he was younger?" A nod from Mariku was all he got, causing Bakura to narrow his eyes and point out. "Well, then they aren't perfectly fine with you!"

"Malik nearly mowed it down with a ball and ran to grab it. The snake was just scared, and it shoulda been considering Rishid killed it." The revelation of what happened that day with the snake caused Bakura to fall silent, contemplating what he was just told while Mariku kept watching the film. After a while, he felt a weight increase on his shoulder, noticing that Bakura had fallen silent after the truth over the incident with Malik and the cobra, quickly glancing over to see what was going on.

Much to his surprise, Bakura had nodded off, his head resting against his bare shoulder with eyes closed softly, his bangs covering up most of his face from Mariku's view. Against his exposed skin, his friend's hair felt soft to the touch, tickling the sensitive, reddened skin as it brushed up against him with each minute movement of Bakura's head. Mariku thought against moving, finding the air in his lungs leaving as it became harder to take in a breath, and his cheeks flushing a similar tone of red as his back and shoulders, feeling flushed with the close proximity of the other's face to his shoulder. The movie played on in the background, nearing the end as the man with the cool hat started riding off on his horse, and soon enough the credits started scrolling down the screen.

He didn't know what to do. Sitting there, the laptop still playing the credits on his lap and Bakura still fast asleep on his shoulder, he glanced out of the window again, finding the storm raging on with lightning flashing across the open window, briefly lighting up the room before it all went dark again. Thunderstorms were pretty, and Mariku found quickly when he was younger that there was nothing to be afraid of with the rumbling sound echoing in the distance and the flash of light that sparked from the clouded skies. Chuckling to himself, a memory of a twelve year old Mariku, fresh off the plane from Egypt, enjoying the rain that poured down heavily that day. While Rishid ran about trying to get their new home ready, with Ishizu helping him unbox the belongings that they managed to take from their childhood home in Egypt, Mariku dragged Malik outside to play in the puddles.

Turned out that water ruined cheap shoes pretty quickly. That, and Malik ended up falling face first in a particularly deep puddle and ruined his clothes for the day, forced to sit in his pyjamas for the rest of the day before Rishid was able to wash them as well as go out and buy new clothes for them. Considering their father refused to let them leave Egypt for Japan, Mariku's face fell at the memory of that night. Being woken up by Ishizu and forced to stay quiet, getting dressed in his clothes, remembering Ishizu's frightened expression as she tried to pack up all their clothes and belongings. Any question that he wanted to ask died in his lungs, Mariku afraid that if he even whispered their father would find them, so he kept silent while Ishizu guided him and a sleepy Malik down the stairs.

Whispers from years ago echoed in his head, Ishizu trying to keep her younger brothers calm while Rishid waited by the front door, having already packed up all that he was willing to take in a cab that was waiting outside. Cold, bitter winds chilled him even through his thick clothes, his bare feet stinging on the ground until Rishid picked him up in his arms. Looking over his older brother's shoulder, Mariku stared at the house that was his home all his life, unable to understand why they were leaving, and why their father had remained in the house instead of following after them. It was only as he got older did Ishizu finally explain to him that they had to leave their father because of his behaviour, wanting to protect Mariku and Malik from the old man after he struck Rishid violently.

No money and only the clothes on their back, his heart dropped as he remembered that rainy day in a different light, now understanding how hard it was for Rishid to keep them all together with a roof over their heads and food on the table, with Mariku going off the bend and causing nothing but trouble. He couldn't help but feel that his family had a break with him gone, able to carry on with their lives without him ruining everything.

Suddenly, his phone pinged loudly, alerting the daydreaming teenager that he got a message. Hopeful yet anxious, he leaned over, trying his best not to disturb Bakura as he carried on sleeping, and reached for the phone. Stretched fingers brushed against the cold metal, finally able to grasp it after some struggling. Returning to his previous position, he stared down at the bright screen, wincing with the light burning his eyes before managing to get used to it. Much to his relief yet surprise that he'd reply so soon, it was Malik that had texted back from his previous message.

_We need to talk. I'm coming over, just stay at Bakura's. I'll be there in about ten minutes._

His stomach twisted at the wording, unable to shake the feeling that he seriously pissed Malik off as he dropped his phone on his bed. Leaning against the headboard, he breathed deeply while a sigh passed through his lips, feeling Bakura's hot breath on his shoulder while the latter carried on snoozing away. The laptop remained on his lap still, the heat from underneath it baking his lap and legs until he decided to turn it off, shutting the lid while trying to be as gentle as possible. He didn't want to wake Bakura, and a small part of him didn't want his friend to move away either, finding the weight and warmth from the asleep body comforting to him, similar to how Rishid often hugged him when he was but a child.

Maybe that was it, maybe he saw Bakura as some sort of brother? Yet, there were moments where his feelings towards Bakura were not that of brotherly love, not like how he felt towards Rishid and Malik, regardless of how they got on his nerves sometimes. Similar to Yuugi and Jounouchi, that close friendship, so maybe it was just that? Friendship that was closer than usual, a bond between two people rather than a whole group?

Irregardless, with the thought of Malik coming over to talk about things weighing heavily over him, Mariku slipped from underneath Bakura, finding that his friend truly was a heavy sleeper with the movement not even sturing him awake. He must had been exhausted after the long school week. Leaving him lying across the bed horizontally, Mariku grabbed his hoodie and snuck out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him, before making his way down the stairs towards the living room. Ten minutes before Malik would appear at his door. Once in the living room, he flipped the switch on for the main lights, illuminating the room that was previously shrouded in darkness.

Slowly, he went about cleaning up the mess that was left behind when Malik stormed out, picking up his textbook and papers before leaving them in a neat pile on the coffee table, doing the same to Bakura's while making sure that they didn't get mixed up. The last thing Bakura needed was getting his terrible work mixed in with his own. Grabbing Malik's stuff, he gathered it up and left it in a separate pile for the missing twin to take with him when he got to Bakura's. Some of the things that he read made his brain fry just from looking at it, unable to understand the higher level at which Malik works, with the numbers and equations seemingly flying around on the page as he added it to the pile. With everything tidied away, he took the chance to go and grab something from the fridge to satisfy his growing hunger, dragging his feet as he wandered into the empty room.

It was a huge surprise to find that the alleycat that he often saw at the end of the garden had took it upon itself to sit at his windowsill. Stopping mid step, he just stood there staring at the window, watching this drowned creature sitting outside and meowing loudly, almost begging to be given shelter from the raging storm. With raised eyebrows, he decided to allow the poor animal inside, moving to open the back door while the cat, having realised what he was doing, jumped down and practically scratched at the door. When he opened it, Mariku was greeted with blistering winds and rain pouring into the kitchen, soaking the floor yet giving the cat the opportunity to slink inside, out of the cold and wet. Closing the door, he glanced around to see where the alley cat had gotten off to, walking back into the living room when he couldn't spot it walking around in the kitchen.

Quickly, he spotted it grooming itself on the couch, getting the cushion it was sitting on soaking wet while Mariku groaned, leaving the living room to find a towel to dry the cat off. Up the stairs, he kept quiet while passing his bedroom, unwilling to wake Bakura up only to show him a soaking and dirty cat that he let into his nicely cleaned home. At least he could hope that after some sleep, his friend would be nicer to the idea of giving the creature sanctuary. Once he was in the bathroom, he looked over the towel rack hanging on the wall, trying to find one that wasn't too white and get dirty easily, before pulling a black one off the top shelf. No one would notice it being dirty easily, right?

Towel in hand, he made his way back down the stairs, hoping that the cat had remained on the couch and not took it upon itself to wander around the house with its tiny, gross paws that had been in places that Mariku didn't want spreading around the place. Peeking into the living room slowly, he was relieved to find that the cat hadn't bothered moving, still grooming itself in hope of drying its soaked fur out. How someone would approach an alley cat was beyond his expertise, only having seen the animal in the distance before it went off to do its own thing, enjoying a snack from him at time to time yet remaining largely independent. Deciding to take things slow, he approached the cat with the towel, muttering softly to it. "Hey, little guy. It's okay…"

Huge, round eyes blinked at him, the cat still sticking its leg out while it watched him approaching with the towel nervously. Gently, as to not spook the cat, he managed to pick it up with just a small meow of protest, sitting down next to the wet spot with the cat sitting in his lap. Despite being an alleycat, the experience wasn't all hisses, yowls and scratches that would take days to heal up, rather the worst he got was a deep growl and a swish of the tail from the little guy. Another meow was thrown at him, causing Mariku to mumble back to it. "Alright, I'm nearly done."

Another deeper meow and he sighed in frustration. "Will you stop yelling at me?... Great, now I'm talking to a cat."

Eventually, he got the fur as dry as he could manage and released the cat, leaving the towel on the arm of the couch while he watched the dried animal shake itself of any water that remained in its fur, before going back to grooming itself. It was weird how they were able to flex themselves like that, especially when he noticed the cat pulling its leg behind its head to lick its lower regions. That was the time to look away, Mariku chuckling to himself as he called out to it. "Hey, don't you think you can do that in another room?"

The cat paused, staring at him with a creepy look before going back to its business. Well, he left the conversation at that, moving to get something from the fridge like he did before the whole cat situation happened. However, a knock on the door stopped him in his stride, Mariku cursing under his breath as he remembered that Malik was coming over, ignoring the cat sitting on the arm of Bakura's chair as he went towards the front door. Through the window, Malik's silhouette was visible, standing still while Mariku quickly opened the door and get his brother out of the rain. When it opened, he was greeted with a stern expression on Malik's face, half hidden away underneath the hood of his coat that protected him from the harsh downpour of rain that carried on in the background.

Hidden under the overhang over the front porch of Bakura's house, Malik pulled down his hood, brushing a strand of hair that was stuck to his forehead while asking. "You gonna let me in?"

"Uh, yeah, come in." Mariku replied, moving to the side to let his brother in. Taking the chance to get out of the terrible weather, Malik entered the house, passing Mariku as the latter closed the front door behind him, following after his brother with the both of them going into the living room. While he went and sat down on the couch, Malik paused, staring at the cat that was still cleaning itself on the chair, pausing only to give him a blank stare before licking its paw.

"Bakura doesn't have a cat."

"Nope." Mariku sniffed, getting comfortable on the couch as he added. "He's from the alley at the end of the garden. Wanted to come in because it was raining dogs and, well, him."

Humming in response, Malik noticed the work that Mariku had cleaned up beforehand, going over to the coffee table and picking up his textbook. A bag on his back, he dipped his shoulder and dropped it down on the ground, packing away his stuff while Mariku watched. His smirk disappeared, giving way to his nervousness as he waited for his twin to reveal the reason for why he came back to Bakura's. Papers, the textbook, even the pencil case that he had forgotten, all of it was packed away into the plain looking backpack, Malik zipping it up yet leaving it propped up against the leg of the coffee table. Instead, he stood up again, making no attempt to sit down anywhere, rather staring down at Mariku with those lavender eyes that were so similar to his own, and yet so different in emotions that swirled around behind them.

Finally, Malik spoke up, his voice shattering the silence and tension that was building up between them. "I've been thinking… about what you said before."

"Look, I'm sorry for what I said. I don't even know why I did it." Mariku apologised, leaning forward when the couch cushions at the back brushed up against his back. Even through the bandages and hoodie, the shifting was uncomfortable and caused him to wince slightly, quickly able to hide it before Malik suspected something.

"I don't know either, but I can't keep going on with this happening every time, Mariku. So…" Malik paused, sighing deeply while Mariku stared at him in concern, worried what was going to happen. Unwilling to let him sit there worrying over what was going, he finished his sentence with a shrug. "Over the past few weeks, I've been talking with my teachers about a counsellor. I think it may be in your best interest if you get one, too."

"A counsellor?" Mariku scoffed, unable to stop the intrusive thoughts from getting into his mind. No one needed to know about his problems. He didn't want anyone to know about his problems, rather keeping them locked deep within him. It was better that way, they wouldn't try to intervene in his life, try to make things better only to end up fucking everything up.

While he was panicking internally, he heard Malik's voice amongst his own thoughts, trying to keep him calm as he explained. "I know that last time didn't work out, but they have different ones here. Everything will be fine."

"No. No, no, no." Mariku repeated, getting up from the couch and storming into the kitchen. Water, he needed water. Grabbing a cup that was sitting in the drying rack, he filled it up with water pouring out of the tap, staring at the crystal clear water before downing as much as he could before his lung cried out for air. Gasping for air, he leaned against the kitchen counter with the cup placed down, the force of which he slammed the cup causing it to almost smash in his grip, rather a small crack appearing to creep up the side.

Head in hands, he tried to stop the panic from ripping him apart from the inside, listening as Malik tried to explain to him from the archway connecting the two rooms. "You can't keep going on like this. Obviously the medication isn't working on its own, and you have some problems that aren't caused by your IED. This could be a good thing."

"I don't need a fucking counsellor!" Mariku burst out, slamming his hands against the counter loudly. With his back turned to his brother, he didn't see the flinch that happened from the action, but he did see the brief moment of terror when he turned around to see Malik having took a step back, ready to leave if things got too violent. It wasn't even anger that was tearing him to shreds. Mariku was angry, he was frightened and alone and didn't know what to do, and seeing how Malik reacted as if he was their father tore him apart even more. His voice dropped, all the anger giving way to the fear as he confessed. "I don't want a counsellor. I don't want someone to see how much of a nutcase I am and take me away."

"Mariku… no one is going to take you away." He wished he could believe Malik's words, but he was certain that even Malik himself didn't believe himself. Judging by his saddened stare, Malik too was terrified of the unknown, if only handling it better than how Mariku was handling it.

Everywhere hurt. It wasn't like the pain from burning himself in the shower, rather it was inside, like his heart was threatening to burst out of his chest and his lungs refused to take in any air, leaving him feeling like he was gasping for a single breath. Rubbing the front of his face, he let his hand drop back to his side as he demanded desperately. "Promise me. Promise me that they aren't gonna put me in the nuthouse."

Approaching Malik, he saw that his brother showed none of the fear that his previous outburst had sparked, rather standing straight with his face showing sympathy and sadness all at the same time. After a few strides, he stopped right in front of the other Ishtar, having a few extra inches of height over Malik, and yet he was the one who felt the most vulnerable. If Malik could swear that he wouldn't be taken away, that he wouldn't be alone somewhere that he didn't know, then maybe he could find the courage in himself to try out counselling again. Hopefully, it wouldn't have ended like it did for a younger Mariku.

Nodding slowly, Malik replied softly. "I promise. Okay, this is just so you have someone to talk to, and maybe they can give you advice on how to better control your emotions."

That made him feel better about the situation. He trusted Malik, hell he trusted his brother more than anyone else in the world outside of his family and Bakura. The two had always had each others' backs. So, he nodded back, his response causing Malik to visibly appear relieved with the acceptance of going to a counsellor. In a more joking tone, he asked Mariku with a grin on his face. "Is it too girly for you to give me a hug?"

Mariku laughed at that. Not a chuckle or a sly smirk, but rather a genuine laugh that made his stomach calm down and his nerves less frayed. Malik stood there, still expecting that hug, and so Mariku gave in for that one time, opening his arms and wrapping them around his brother, bringing him closer while muttering. "This is a one time offer."

"So a lifetime offer for me." Malik shot back, causing Mariku to chuckle again while gesturing with a quick flick of his head, giving that point to the shorter twin. The whole scene was heartwarming. Mariku prefered this much more than the usual shouting matches and horrible insults being flung about, wondering if this would become more common if he started up the counselling again.

Much to his disappointment, Malik pulled back again, standing there with a hand on his hip as he suggested. "I got some time to kill if you wanna hang out around here? You can show me your new friend."

"Sure. I gotta think of a name for him." He pointed out, following after Malik as the both of them went back into the living room to enjoy some time with their new furry friend. While he was thankful that his relationship with his brother had recovered from their previous arguments, memories flashed in the back of his brain, and his mood quickly went south again at the recollection of his past. A younger Mariku, having started school after coming to Japan and yet finding it difficult to fit in, especially with the children that talked their foreign tongues and made fun of him to his face, using their language against him as he couldn't understand what they were saying.

So, he used his fists to make them understand, beating down his problems until he drew the attention of the teachers, and quickly a meeting with the counsellor was scheduled. A younger Mariku didn't know what would happen, coming into the stuffy office and telling the strange woman what was wrong, trying his best to understand her even though his grasp on Japanese was sketchy at best. After a year or so had passed, and his behaviour hadn't improved, Mariku recalled him being finally diagnosed with his IED, and soon enough there were plans to have him taken from Ishizu and his family, shoved into one of those mental institutions to protect him and the people around him from himself.

He'd always be grateful to Ishizu for pleading his case and stopping him from being taken away, but the terrible occurrence stuck to him, like a rash that he could never get rid of. Hopefully, with his behaviour starting to get under control, he wouldn't be at the same risk as his younger self was, but that didn't stop the dread and fear at the thought of risking it again. In all honesty he was terrified, even sitting there while Malik fussed over the little, scraggy black cat that made itself at home in Bakura's house.

He wouldn't let his feelings ruin the moment, and so he didn't, acting as if everything was alright despite the raging storm that was going on inside him during that time.


	9. Happy Birthday Brother

Malik ended up going home a couple of hours after the discussion around getting Mariku a counsellor, waiting until Bakura had woken up to talk to him and then leaving with his stuff when the weather got slightly better, unwilling to get soaked on the walk all they way back to his house. Given that it was still pouring down heavily, the alley cat, to which Mariku had taken it upon himself to name it Anubis, had decided to stay in the house with them, much to Bakura's disgust over having a mangy cat getting dirty paw prints all over his stuff. That, and Anubis wouldn't stop getting in his chair. With a convincing argument from Mariku, mostly consisting of him repeatedly asking Bakura to let Anubis stay until it was no longer raining, his friend eventually caved and allowed the cat to roam around, though kept his chair off limits after having to clean dirt embedded into the fabric from Anubis sitting on it.

With Amane having stayed over at her friends for the night, and Ryou texting Bakura to tell him that he and his friends were all going to stay over at Honda's, both of the oldest teens were left on their own in the huge and empty house. Ordering in some food, they settled down in the living room, watching some TV rather than having to put up with Ryou's horror movies, though Mariku himself enjoyed some of the choices that the younger sibling picked. Night fell, the storm outside quieting down enough that Anubis could leave the house, though Mariku didn't want him to. Luckily, Bakura hadn't brought it up while they watched TV, and the tanned boy enjoyed the company with the cat resting on his stomach, all curled up while it slept peacefully, not having to keep an ear out for any danger in its home within the alleyways.

As it got later within the night, Mariku decided to head off to bed, wanting to get enough sleep as he would be at Malik's tomorrow for Rishid's birthday, trudging up the stairs while Bakura carried on watching TV. When Anubis tried to follow after him, his friend stopped him, plucking the cat up from the floor and refusing to allow the gross animal lie on their beds, instead letting Anubis carry on sleeping on the couch for the night before he would be allowed out again in the morning.

Eventually, morning came, light shining through the open window onto Mariku's face, causing him to scrunch up his eyes in pain before slowly blinking them open. The first thing he saw was that the sun was out, the storm that was ravaging the town yesterday having moved on for destinations unknown. White clouds rolled along the blue skies, pushed around by the soft breeze that couldn't get into his room through the shut window, the curtains kept to the side rather than pulled across to block the outside world from the tired boy's view. A deep groan rumbled deep within Mariku's chest. How he was still tired after getting plenty of sleep was beyond him, but today was not the day that he could just say to hell with it and catch a few extra hours.

So, pulling the duvet from over his body, he swung his long legs off of the bed and stood up, stretching out his stiff limbs until he felt the joints in his shoulders and his spine crack all at once. Letting the deep groan out as a sigh, he dropped his arms to his side, wandering out of the bedroom towards the bathroom. Thankfully, no one was occupying it at the moment, letting Mariku get on with getting himself at least presentable for his family. His reflection showed him exactly how shitty he felt; huge bags sitting under his relaxed eyes and his hair even wilder than usual, unable to be tamed as he ran a hair through the knotted locks. Trying to run his fingers through it, he gave up after the annoying tugging hurt his scalp, rather running the water tap and cupping his hands underneath.

Cool water pooled in his hands, before being splashed against his face. Eyes closed to stop the water from getting in, he rubbed his face roughly with his hands, trying to wake himself up from the groggy grip of exhaustion. When his hands slipped down, he stared again at his reflection, watching a few drops of water roll down his tanned skin and drip down on his hands, his fingers tapping against the marble surface of the sink. Feeling better than when he woke up, he plucked his toothbrush from the holder and started brushing his teeth, scrubbing along his mouth while humming under his breath, hoping that he'd stop his teeth from turning yellow permanently after forgetting to brush them throughout the week. Often than not, he would stare at the things he needed to do, such as brushing his teeth and washing himself in the shower, but his body had no energy to do so, leaving him to sit there in a blank state of numbness.

At least he was getting out of that state now. Gargling back some mouthwash that he was certain Bakura wouldn't notice having gone missing, he spat the concoction into the sink, running the tap to rinse away the disgusting fluid down the drain before washing his toothbrush, dropping it back into the holder with the other toothbrushes. A small hand towel was resting on a railing on the other side of the sink, Mariku pulling it off and wiping his cold skin around his mouth, before tossing it back on the railing haphazardly. With his face washed and his teeth brushed, he made his way out of the bathroom, ready to go downstairs to grab something to eat when he heard his phone ring from his bedroom.

Nearly tripping over his own feet, Mariku ran back into his room, throwing himself onto the bed to reach the nightstand next to it. The mattress underneath sank under his weight, the teenage boy bouncing slightly from the momentum as he grabbed his phone, staring at the caller ID to see who it was phoning him, and when he saw that it was Ishizu, he answered it quickly. "What's up?"

"Hi, Mariku. I'm just calling to see if you could do me a favour?" Ishizu's voice asked from the other end. Mariku raised an eyebrow at that, unable to remember the last time his sister trusted him to do an errand for her.

Still, he guessed he could help her out this time. "Yeah, sure. What'd you need me to do?"

"Well, Rishid doesn't know what we're planning for him, so while Malik and I get everything ready for dinner tonight, I need you to basically distract him for the day." Ishizu explained. That was a pretty easy errand, Mariku was the best of all of them at distracting people and being a general nuisance, though he was stumped on what to do until his sister carried on. "I told him that you wanted to spend the day with him after everything that's happened. He'll be leaving in a few minutes, so be ready."

"Alright, I'll go get dressed then." Mariku replied, sliding off his bed with his phone still in hand.

With him on board, Ishizu's voice showed the gratefulness that she felt, a small exhale audible from the other side as she thanked him. "Thank you. I'll see you later on."

"See ya, Ishizu." Ending the call there, he tossed the phone lightly onto the bed, getting on with changing into some clothes suitable for going out. With the bright weather going on outside, he decided to wear something more suitable for the warm weather, rummaging through his suitcase to see if there was any clean clothes for him to wear. With some of his clothes smelling amongst the pile, he made a side note to do some of the washing later on tonight, before managing to find one of his many tank tops that he had packed away. You'd think he had anything else besides tank tops.

"Eh, clean enough." He muttered, pulling the top over his bare chest, hiding away some of the smaller nicks and scars that littered his flesh. Some were from his more delinquent days, getting into fights with people who definitely came armed, and how he got out without being severely crippled was beyond him. Others were from the metal of a belt striking him, or the ring worn on his father's finger when he smacked him, thought those were the ones that he didn't feel like showing off to others.

Pulling his pants over his long legs, he hopped around the room, trying to center himself so that he didn't collapse in a heap of limbs while his hand grabbed the bedpost at the end of his bed in order to steady himself. Fully clothed, he was ready to go out, keeping the socks on that he was sleeping last night before grabbing his phone off the bed, realising that he'd gotten some messages during the night, noticing that it was Ryou's number texting him. Confused, he read the texts that were just sitting in his inbox, unsure what was going on until he realised that it wasn't Ryou at all who texted him, rather it being Anzu.

_I know what happened on Friday. I wanna talk with you, meet me at Burger World tomorrow at 1pm. Be there._

That was today. Glancing up at the time in the corner of his phone screen, he found that it was already half twelve, wondering if he should fuck off her text and go do whatever with Rishid. However, the incident with Yuugi still weighed heavily on his mind, lurking at the back of his thoughts like a bad rash that he couldn't shake off, no matter how hard he tried. It was only a talk, even if Anzu was a bitch in his opinion, and he could always go back to Rishid to spend the rest of their time together doing whatever he wanted to do. Not bothering to text her back, he shoved his phone in the back of his jeans pocket, leaving the bedroom to make his way downstairs.

Bakura's bedroom door was wide open, Mariku able to see slightly in from where he he stood at the top of the stairs. During his stay at the house, he hadn't dared to go in there, knowing how particular Bakura was with his privacy, but it looked like he wasn't asleep in his bed. Given the time it was, his friend had likely woken up hours before, that was if he went to bed at all last night. Descending down the stairs, he was greeted by a small ball of black running up and down the hallway, chirps and other strange noises coming from it as the blur ran towards his legs, nearly sending Mariku tumbling down the rest of the stairs as he tried to avoid stepping on the excited Anubis.

"Hey, watch it!" Mariku growled, nearly kicking Anubis as the small creature ran off into the living room. Unsure what spurred that behaviour, he followed after the cat into the room, glancing around to see that Bakura had cleaned up practically _everywhere._ The couch and chair were cleaned thoroughly, no sign of Anubis having gotten his dirt everywhere he had been walking and sitting, with the cushions having different covers on and propped up against the back of the couch properly.

Numerous clothes were drying on the radiators that were situated all around the house, with some that had already dried and been folded into a stack of clothes ready to be taken upstairs. All the letters and bills that was scattered across the coffee table had been cleared as well, the papers nowhere to be seen, and instead the coasters for the cups brought into the room sat there in uniform position, wiped clean of any stains that were previously on it. Even Anubis himself was squeaky clean, his once grimy fur sporting a beautiful shine and, when Mariku looked closer, he spotted an old looking cat collar that had a cute little bell on it. With every movement that the cat made, no matter how small, the bell jingled softly, alerting anyone around Anubis of his location.

Walking past the small table towards the kitchen, he found that Bakura had cleaned in there as well, with the black countertops shining clearly in the summer rays and the floor brushed and mopped, no longer having any paw prints from when Anubis came running in last night. By the sink, washing the dishes and the grimy oven top, Bakura had his back to his friend, though he knew of his presence after Mariku's angry scolding of Anubis for nearly sending him flying down the stairs just then. "I see you're finally awake."

"Yep. Just got off the phone with Ishizu, too." Mariku revealed, opening the fridge door to see what he could eat while Anubis came running in from the living room, expecting the human to feed him as he sat on the counter besides the fridge meowing loudly, demanding food from Mariku as he just stared. "I see Anubis is still here."

"He didn't want to leave. Opened the door this morning for him to go back to wherever he came from, and he just took one look before going back to my chair." Bakura explained, finishing up a plate as he laid it out on the dish rack to dry, before adding in an annoyed tone. "If he was gonna stay in my house, he had to be clean. I don't want fleas."

"So, I take it you bathed him." Mariku pointed out, rubbing the top of Anubis' head while holding the carton of juice that he took from the fridge. Taking a sip, he watched as the cat pushed further into his hand, demanding more attention from him silently with its huge eyes closing shut, a deep purr rumbling deep in Anubis' throat. "How'd that turn out?"

Bakura said nothing, rather turning around so that Mariku could see his face. Standing there, he inhaled sharply at the sight of three long claw marks running right across Bakura's cheek, the skin a deep red with the shallow cuts barely bleeding, yet Mariku knew how painful cat scratches could get with the numerous ones he sustained from the cats that crossed his path over the years. The other teen nodded at the expression on Mariku's face, turning back to his chores as he replied in a deadpan tone. "He _really_ doesn't like water."

Mariku chuckled at that, unable to get the vision of Bakura trying to clean an angered Anubis out of his head. However, while he was distracted and ceased lavishing Anubis with attention, the cat took offense and bit his hand, causing Mariku to stare down with narrowed eyes. Pointed teeth that hadn't yet pierced his skin, Anubis sat there awkwardly with the part of his human's hand in his mouth, confused as to why he hadn't wrenched his hand away with curses. In fact, Mariku hardly reacted to the action, instead standing there before Anubis took the hint and released him, instead licking the spot where he had just bit him. "Being a lil' asshole today, aren't we?"

"He's a needy little guy." Bakura shot back, pulling off his rubber gloves when finished with the dishes. Tossing them on the side, he turned back around to Mariku while the other was still petting the cat, leaning against the sink with his arms crossed over his chest. "So, what's the plan for today?"

"Rishid and I are going out for the day, give Ishizu and Malik the chance to decorate the place for dinner later on." Mariku explained, turning his attention away from Anubis again, this time walking away as to not have a repeat of what happened just then. The text from Anzu drifted into his thoughts, causing him to pause in his steps and wonder whether he wanted to tell Bakura or not. Deciding on needing his advice on the matter anyway, he confessed in a low tone. "I got a text before… from Anzu."

"Anzu? What'd it say?" He questioned, just as confused as Mariku was over why the teenage girl had texted him of all people.

"Dunno. She wants to talk to me at Burger World in about half an hour." Mariku revealed, leaving out the part where she knew about the way he brushed Yuugi off on Friday and instead asking for his best friend's advice. "What'd you think I should do?"

"Well, I wouldn't go and brush this off. Anzu isn't the type to give out second chances to people she doesn't like." That was for sure. With Anubis running around his legs, trying to capture Mariku's attention while the tall human just ignored him, rather nodding in agreement with his friend. Pushing himself off the sink, Bakura approached Mariku, giving him a soft smile when he saw that thoughtful look plastered on Mariku's face, resting a hand on his shoulder as he comforted the taller of the two. "Just hear her out. Who knows, maybe it's something good."

That Mariku doubted. Still, he had nothing to lose, and sighed softly. "Alright."

"Just tell Rishid you wanna grab something to eat at Burger World, he doesn't need to know what's going on right now. With any luck, Anzu should be on her break at the time she wanted you to meet her." He suggested, removing his hand from Mariku's bare shoulder as he looked at what his friend was wearing, quickly adding in a quieter tone. "You might wanna wear a jacket or something. Your bandages are showing."

Stunned, he glanced down at his shoulder, realising that Bakura was right when he noticed a small part of the bandages peeking out from the strap over his shoulder, the skin exposed red and blistering after the burns he suffered yesterday afternoon. Rishid would no doubt spot them if he didn't take care covering him up, and would likely start questioning Mariku about their origins. This was his birthday. Mariku didn't want his brother spending it worrying after him, and he definitely didn't want word getting back to Malik and Ishizu about what their brother had gotten himself into. That said, he only had his school jacket and a thick winter coat at Bakura's, and so he internally panicked over what to do, not noticing that Bakura had disappeared from the room while he was deep in his thoughts.

Admittedly, he could always lie, but that only got so far with Rishid treating every word he uttered with suspicion, especially nowadays.

Suddenly, his thoughts were disturbed by the feeling of fabric on his shoulders. Confused, with his shoulders tensing up at the feeling, he turned his head, ready to punch whatever touched his sensitive skin, until he saw that it was only Bakura returning to the kitchen with something, draping it over Mariku's shoulders. Much to his surprise, it was his friend's jacket that were sitting on him. It didn't look new, rather a worn navy blue colour with fabric that felt like it had seen better days, no longer having that new jacket smell or feeling to it. Still, Mariku prefered it this way, knowing from the smell of Bakura's deodorant wafting up from the jacket into his nose. He'd recognise it anywhere, he stole it often for his own use.

"You should really get your own stuff, but you can borrow this for today." He offered, earning a chuckle from Mariku before the both of them went into the living room. It wouldn't be much longer before Rishid appeared, and so Mariku took the time to get ready for a day out, sorting out his atrocious hair that were somewhat wet from splashing water in his face beforehand. Staring at the mirror hanging above the fireplace, he pushed some of his bangs upwards, trying to keep it out of his eyes before it just drooped down again, hanging there as he tried to see under the mess of hair sitting on his head.

There wasn't exactly much he could do to salvage it. Hair gel, combing, both he and Ishizu had tried everything, especially when he was younger, his older sister enjoying brushing her brothers' hair while they were growing up. Malik had luscious locks, long and soft to the touch that would mold to the movement of Ishizu's hairbrush, while Mariku's was a wild jungle of blonde locks that latched onto the brush and refused to move, the amount of times Ishizu's almost ripped out some of his hair trying to retrieve her hairbrush too many to count. So, Mariku left it alone, instead shoving his arms through the sleeves of the jacket, trying to take care not to rub the painful skin on his shoulders too much with the movement. Given that Bakura was a few inches shorter than Mariku, the sleeves came up a little bit short, though not enough to be noticeable given that Bakura often had jackets that were too big for him, finding them more comfortable than ones that fitted him better.

Maybe he enjoyed slapping people with the long sleeves. That was the best part for Mariku, though he didn't find many coats or jackets that were too big for him, except maybe those that belonged to Rishid. He wouldn't wear Rishid's clothes even if he was paid, given the older brother's style not exactly meeting Mariku's tastes. Zipping it up most of the way, exposing some of his neck and collarbones underneath, a few knocks on the front door suddenly caught his attention. It was no doubt Rishid. Even when he peered around the door leading into the hallway, he recognised his brother's huge silhouette in the window, nearly blocking all the sunlight trying to get through the front door window. Approaching the door, he muttered to himself in amusement. "Well, he was quick."

Hand grabbing the knob, he turned it before practically yanking the door open. Rishid stood there, for once not wearing his security guard uniform, much to Mariku's surprise considering his brother practically lived in that outfit, and rather instead was wearing something that an old grandma would dress him in. A checkered shirt that had been ironed tediously, getting every possible crease out with stonewashed jeans, a pair of heavy looking boots replacing the more work suitable shoes that the gigantic man usually wore. Looking him up and down, Mariku bluntly asked him. "What the fuck are you wearing?"

"Ishizu got me this shirt." Rishid revealed, looking down at it as he confessed. "I'm not a big fan of checkered shirts, but I didn't want to offend her."

"Pfft, you look like a door salesman." The other Ishtar brother joked, chuckling deeply at Rishid's unloved shirt before moving aside, allowing his brother to come into Bakura's house as he added. "Come on, lemme just sort myself out before we go."

Walking past him, Rishid made his way to the living room while Mariku shut the front door. He had most of the stuff he wanted, patting down his pockets for his phone, before realising that he needed his wallet. Funnily enough, he didn't have any money, at least not enough to buy anything, though it made him feel somewhat shitty for being unable to buy anything for Rishid's birthday. If only he could've gotten a job, but school would never have given him permission to go and work, not like they did with Jounouchi and Anzu. Given his grades as they were, his teachers wouldn't even consider letting him take on a job that would distract him further. After running with his old gang for a while, he was given a cut of all the things that they stole as well as sold, typically drugs and other blackmarket items that were brought in from other cities, but after cutting ties, he not only lost the gang, he lost his only source of income outside of Ishizu loaning him money.

Hand shoved into pocket, he paused when he felt something brush against his fingers. The feeling of leather on the tips of his fingers, he was confused over what it was until he pulled it out, realising that Bakura had forgotten to take his wallet out of his jacket before giving it to Mariku, and while the thought of borrowing some money undoubtedly crossed his mind, he refused to steal from his best friend. That was just a whole new low that he wasn't willing to stoop to. Instead, he pulled it out of the pocket, unwilling to go and lose his friend's only source of money, and tossed it lightly on the windowsill by the front door, near a small bowl that the family kept their keys. Ishizu had a habit of keeping a key bowl, too.

Burying his hands back in his jacket pockets, he returned to the living room, finding Rishid having sat down on the couch while Bakura made himself comfortable in his chair. Even Anubis had calmed down after his little mad run about before, enjoying some attention given to him by Rishid, huge fingers brushing up along his silky black fur while he purred loudly, obviously enjoying the contact despite being an alley cat. It made Mariku wonder if the cat had a family beforehand. What if they missed him? Dragged out of his thoughts by Rishid's voice, he listened at the gravelly voice as he wondered. "Where'd the cat come from?"

"He's an alley cat." Bakura explained, leaning into his hand while watching Anubis slowly drift off into sleep, those huge eyes that were constantly staring at everything now narrow slits, no longer visible to them as he laid stretched out on the rest of the couch. "Came in during the storm yesterday, but he won't leave."

"Hmm. A beautiful creature." Rishid complimented, scratching Anubis on the cheek with the animal leaning further into his fingers, clearly pleased with the sensation. Mariku said nothing, instead pulling his phone out of his pocket when he hear a small ping coming from the back pocket of his jeans. It was Anzu again, this time from her own phone as he didn't recognise the number at the top of the text. Peeking at the time, he tensed up when he realised that he had only five minutes to get to Burger World.

_I'm going on my break. Meet me outside._

"Hey, uh, Rishid?" Mariku called out, catching the other's attention as the older brother turned around, with Mariku still staring down at the text while he asked in the most casual way he could. "You reckon you could get me something from Burger World first? I'm starving."

"Burger World? For breakfast?" The way Rishid pointed that out made it perfectly clear to Mariku how gross he found the idea. Still, Mariku wasn't lying when he said he was starving, even if he was too poor to afford anything, and nodded with a grin as his stomach growled, as if to make a point. With a deep sigh, Rishid gave up without an argument, getting to his feet as he grumbled. "Alright, let's go then."

"See ya later, Mariku." Bakura bid farewell, gesturing a small wave of goodbye while the Ishtar siblings left the living room. Mariku returned the gesture with a raise of his hand, before following after Rishid as they walk out into the hallway and out the front door. Closing it behind him, he jogged down the path lightly when Rishid had carried on walking, his longer legs proving his advantage in clearing the path leading down to the front gate.

Sitting at the bottom on the road running in front of the house, Mariku noticed the small car that Ishizu had drove to school for the meeting on Friday, wondering to himself how a practical giant like Rishid was able to fit in such a tiny Fiat. It must've been like those clown cars he saw on the TV. With Rishid stuffing himself into the driver's seat, he waited patiently for Mariku to get in, saying nothing about his clear disdain for eating food at Burger World as his younger brother got in the passenger seat, leaning back into the comfortable seats. Even after giving his skin some rest after yesterday, it was still tender and sore, though he had a pretty good poker face on to stop Rishid from getting suspicious. Didn't mean it didn't sting like a bitch, though.

There was hardly any talking between them as they drove slowly along the road towards further in town. It was the usual, Rishid wasn't a talkative man and Mariku was still suffering from the grogginess of sleep deprivation, rubbing his eyes when the sun proved too bright for him to handle. At least he got some decent food out of it. Listening to the hum of the engine with his arms crossed over his chest, Mariku glanced out of the window, watching the people walking around in thinned herds, not many coming out of their home on a Sunday. Why Anzu was working today was beyond him. Glancing down at his phone, he groaned quietly to himself at the time, knowing that the girl would rip him a new one for being late. He could practically hear her voice chastising him sitting there in the car.

"You expecting a text or something?" Rishid suddenly asked, causing Mariku to snap his head in his direction and stare with a raised eyebrow. Still watching the road, fingers tapping the steering wheel, his brother added bluntly. "You've been checking your phone constantly for the past couple of minutes."

"Nope. Just passing the time." He lied, hoping that it was enough to fool his living lie detector of a brother. Thankfully, either because he was genuinely fooled, or that he didn't want to intrude on Mariku's privacy, Rishid backed off. Though, Mariku shoved his phone back in his pocket to be safe, having to ignore the urge to check the time constantly.

Traffic was a bitch. Sitting there behind cars that were trying to get about, Mariku wondered why they were there and not in their homes, enjoying their day off before having to go back to their boring lives and boring jobs. At least Rishid was driving and not him, handling the slow moving traffic perfectly well without once raising his voice or losing his temper. The same couldn't be said for the porcupine haired boy sitting next to him, ready to explode and fight everyone in a ten yard radius just to get the traffic moving. Huffing loudly, his temper was not improved when Rishid pointed out. "You can get as angry as you want, it's not gonna make the traffic move."

"Why are they here?! At this rate, I'm gonna die of starvation before we even get there!" He snapped, falling further into his seat with a deep groan when Rishid only shrugged in response. At this rate, Anzu's shift would be over and he'd have to deal with her coming over to him on Monday morning, loudly demanding to know why he brushed her off and all the bullshit. Almost like fate wanted to fuck him over again, his phone pinged again, Mariku unmoving from his slumped spot as he pulled his phone out and stared at the screen.

_Where are you? My break's almost over._

He was stuck in fucking traffic! Gritting teeth together in annoyance, he decided to actually text her back, hoping that it would calm her down somewhat for when he eventually gets there, and typed out a short response that didn't contain any swear words or aggressiveness, which was hard given that it was Mariku and he felt like he was about to have an embolism with the traffic that day. Thankfully, they started moving again, with him pulling himself up into his seat properly. Eventually, they found a place to park near the whole shopping mall, and Mariku nearly started the day with almost smashing the car door window by slamming the door too hard, earning an annoyed stare from Rishid. "You could at least be a little more careful."

Humming in response, he was distracted with the sight of Burger World in the distance, unable to make out Anzu with the distance making everyone at the food joint looking like moving blobs. So, he started walking, with Rishid close by his side. Bakura's words echoed in the back of his mind. With the whole talk with Anzu, Mariku really didn't want Rishid there, not wanting his brother to realise what's going on in the student group, especially Mariku's treatment of Yuugi a couple of days ago. So, thinking quick on his feet, he turned to Rishid and offered. "You don't even like that place. How about you just give me some money for my food and go and see what's around?"

"When did you spending the day with me, on my birthday, become me giving you money and leaving you alone?" Shit, he had Mariku there.

"Because you hate Burger World and I'm just sparing my favourite brother from the horrors of fried salad." Trying to stop himself from chuckling at the absurd thought of fried salad, he hoped that it was enough to get Rishid to leave him alone for a few minutes, deciding to try to seal the deal with a quick. "I won't be long, just a few minutes, that's it!"

After a few moments of thought, he grinned brightly when Rishid grabbed his wallet, pulling out some notes before handing them to Mariku, adding in that deep, gravelly voice of his. "Don't take too long. I'll be over there."

He pointed at an old traditional shop that was full of things related to the history of Japan. Looked like a dump in Mariku's opinion, but he was nothing if not grateful for the distraction, taking the money and nodding briefly, before turning around and making the rest of the way to the fast food place alone. Hopefully Anzu was still there. Walking turned into jogging, and when he saw that Anzu was still there, sitting on a bench near the place with her lunch, his jogging turned to full out running. Luckily, no one saw this weird teen practically sprinting towards an unaware girl minding her own business. It wasn't that hard to spot her either way, with Anzu wearing her Burger World uniform amongst the more plain clothed citizens that were walking about, trying to get their shopping down with not a single care given to what was going on between the teenagers.

Trying to control his breathing when he reached Anzu, he stood there, panting heavily to try and get his breath back, wondering if he should've tried harder at Gym if this was how he got with jogging such a small distance. At least he wasn't smoking anymore. Anzu sat there, staring up at him with those piercing brown eyes that made him wonder if she was actually going to kill him. At least he had a good life. Thankfully, that wasn't the case, as she turned her head and pointed out dryly. "You're late. I thought you weren't gonna show up at all, to be honest."

"Traffic, and it's Rishid's birthday today so if we can make this quick." He revealed, gesturing with the swinging of his arms to signal that they should hurry up with the whole point that they were there.

Anzu took another bite of her sandwich, chewing it while Mariku stood there dumbfounded, unsure if he was able to sit down on the bench without getting a smack and a verbal beatdown from the girl, so he had to suck it up and stand there, waiting impatiently for her to start talking. Swallowing her food, she revealed with a stern expression on her face. "How could you do that to Yuugi?"

"Shit. I take it he told you?" Stupid question. He figured as much as Anzu's face turned darker, her eyes narrowing at him almost like she was trying so hard not to murder him, especially given how close she was with the shortstack. Groaning to himself, he tried to defend himself with his hand rubbing the back of his head, buried in the forest of hair that practically consumed it. "Okay, I kinda went overboard and hurt the little guy's feelings, but it doesn't make what I said any less true. Be honest with me, do you even remotely see a future where you and your friends don't utterly despise me?"

"No." Well, that was quick.

"So, what's the problem? I've stopped trying that shit with Yuugi, and I thought you'd all be happy that I'm no longer lurking about. Isn't that what you wanted?" He questioned, unsure what was wrong between him and the group with him no longer trying to be friends with Yuugi. It was for the best, anyway.

Anzu's face went softer at that, and what she said next stunned Mariku with how gentle she sounded. "I want what's best for Yuugi. You weren't there, Mariku, he was actually happy that you started trying to be friends with him. Even though I think you're a dick, that doesn't stop him from thinking you were kinda cool… in a rebel kind of way."

The compliment, or at least Yuugi's compliment, not how Anzu felt like he was a dick, made him blush slightly. It was kinda cute. Shaking his head free of those thoughts, he tried to calm himself down and stop his face from looking like a bright red tomato, instead listening as Anzu carried on chastising him. "But you went too far, and I want you to apologize to Yuugi."

"Apologise? Who are you, my mother?"

"Look," Anzu started, standing up and leaving her lunch abandoned on the bench. It wasn't so funny to realise how short she was compared to Mariku, forcing him to crane his head downwards just to be able to meet her gaze. Hands on hips, she carried on explaining without ever looking away from him, showing no fear that so many other people did. It was honestly commendable. "I can't stop Yuugi from making friends, and if I did, he wouldn't even have been friends with Honda and Jounouchi. It's a bit hypocritical of me to try and stop him now. Just apologize to him."

"Alright. I guess I owe it to the lil' shortstack, then." He conceded, letting his hand fall from the back of his head back to his side again. That seemed to have pleased Anzu somewhat, even if it was coming from Mariku, and she nodded in response, before turning around to pick up her lunch from the bench.

"That doesn't mean you can come wandering into the game shop again. Atem was pretty pissed at you and Yuugi about that, so just meet up with him on neutral ground or something." She suggested, turning back to Mariku with her lunch in hand. "My break's over. I need to go back on shift, but don't forget what you need to do."

"Yeah, sure." With that said, she turned and started walking back to Burger World. Mariku stood there, thinking about what they just talked about, before her voice snapped him back to reality.

"Oh, and another thing." She added, stopping in her tracks with her head slightly turned, a faint smile on her lips. "Tell Rishid I said Happy Birthday."

Agreeing to with a nod of his head, Anzu turned back around and walked back into Burger World, ready to finish her shift for the day. Standing there, Mariku shoved his hand in his pocket, pulling out the money that Rishid gave him and stared down, before lifting his gaze to the somewhat busy food joint. Growls came from his stomach, pushing him to purchase something to satisfy it, but when he glanced back down at the money, he realised that he actually had enough to buy Rishid something for his birthday. He could handle a few more hours without food. So, decided on what he was gonna do, he returned the money to his pocket and left Burger World alone, instead making his way to the shop that Rishid was perusing around.

Walking through the open door, he looked around the tiny, darkly coloured store with his nose wrinkling up, smelling a mildew or damp stench along with books scattered around in shelves that could hide even someone as big as Rishid away. Some of the books were pretty old as well, Mariku walking along the aisles staring at the different ones that were for sale, along with some old Japanese antiques that were given the window space to try and draw customers in. Something caught his eye, Mariku's feet stopping immediately as he stared at a particular book sitting amongst others, slowly raising his hand to try and pull it out gently. It was heavy, with japanese text inside along with beautiful old style drawings, Mariku able to read most of the words that actually detailed Feudal Japan. All the customs and battles and history were written in that book, likely a well made history book that beat any that the school gave its students.

Glancing at the price tag, he was stunned at the crossing out of the original price, finding that it was just within his budget after some clearance sale that he saw signs for. Maybe the store was shutting down. While he didn't care much for books and all old things from the past, he couldn't help but feel somewhat sorry when he saw that the person in charge was an old looking man, hunched over so that he was even shorter compared to Mariku himself, needing the aid of a walking cane to get about. The tapping of the wooden end of the cane hitting the floor echoed through the store, alerting Mariku to where he was moving around in the small spaces within the store. Closing the book shut again, he nearly jumped out of his skin when a raspy voice asked him from behind. "What do you think you're doing?"

Spinning around, he found the old man standing there, staring up at Mariku with those beady eyes, unnerving the teen as he was jabbed in the side with the cane. That hurt like a bitch. It didn't stop the old man, however, who jabbed him again when the younger boy didn't answer fast enough. "I asked you a question, young man."

"Hey, quit it, that hurts." He growled, trying to stop himself from whacking an elderly pensioner and instead showed him the book he was looking at. "I saw this. I wanna buy it."

"I don't usually get kids in here. All you young people care about are your new phones and your musicians... but you look familiar." That would be odd. Mariku never even came into this store before today, though his heart dropped when the old man clicked his fingers together, clearly remembering where he had seen the teen before. "I remember, you used to hang around those troublemakers in the mall during school hours. It's been a while since I saw those no good friends of yours."

"They ain't my friends no more. Look, I'm not in the mood for a blast from the past, I just wanna buy this book. It's my brother's birthday today." That made the old man relax slightly, thankful that Mariku wasn't there to shake him down for money or to trash his shop for the kicks of it. Gesturing for him to follow after the shopkeeper, they approached the cash register in a corner of the store, nearly blocked away with books that were stacked in front of the counter.

Standing there with his book, he glanced around, wondering where Rishid had gotten himself off to, before the old man piped up to grab his attention. "I ran this store for fifty years and I never needed one of these new electronic registers, but with my memory going I often give customers the wrong change or something. The book will be 500 yen."

"Here." Mariku muttered, passing the money to the old man while hiding the book under his jacket, trying to keep it out of sight from Rishid until they got back to their home. It was awkward, a large bulge coming from under his jacket where he hide the book, but he had nothing else on him to hide it in, and accepted the change from the shopkeeper with a quick. "Thanks."

"Take care now." Mariku just grunted at that, looking around the shop for his brother. For someone so large, he thought that it'd be easy spotting Rishid out of anywhere, by the whole shop felt like a maze, one that he was stuck in. A flash of that ugly checkered shirt caught Mariku's eye, the teen turning on his heel and following after the recognizable clothing. Thankfully, it was Rishid that was standing by as bookstand, rather than another person with zero fashion taste.

Overlooking the multiple books that were for sale, he finally turned his head when Mariku approached him, trying to keep the book from slipping out of his jacket. Immediately, Rishid knew that Mariku had done something, staring at the bulge coming from his jacket and asking sternly. "Mariku, what's that?"

"What? It's nothing. You're just paranoid." He tried to deflect, unwilling to show Rishid until the family gave their presents later on today. Ishizu may had ruined that tradition with the ugly ass shirt, but Mariku had standards. When his brother narrowed his eyes, he added in a joking tone. "I didn't steal it. It's for later, so you're gonna have to wait like a good birthday boy."

"You mean you actually bought it?"

"I know. I surprise even myself." Mariku snarked back, nudging Rishid towards the door. "Come on, we still got a few hours left before we can go home."

Much to his surprise, Mariku actually enjoyed spending time with Rishid, especially without Malik there to grab everyone's attention and Ishizu being a big stick in the mud over what they could and couldn't buy. Without having to be the guardian and provider of the family, Rishid was actually capable of having fun, following after Mariku as they got some new clothes to counteract Ishizu's shirt, and even a new jacket for Mariku to wear during the hot days of summer. Even though he enjoyed the new smell of his jacket, he found himself almost unwilling to part with Bakura's one, finding something about the natural scent coming from it comforting and warm. With the summer sun beating down on them, however, he found it almost unbearable to wear the jacket, but refused to take it off in case Rishid spotted the birthday present he was hiding under it. Or worse, if he spotted the bandages that were wrapped around him tightly.

So, unwilling to ruin the day with making Rishid worried, he kept the jacket on, deciding to just suffer it out until they got back home.

Given that it was still the weekend, students from his school were walking about, enjoying their time off to go shopping or just hang around with friends, and even the Friendship Gang was out in force. Mariku spotted them first, watching them sitting at a table outside Burger World while the brothers made their way back to the car, slowing down slightly when he saw Yuugi joking with Ryou, all while Jounouchi and Honda were roughing it out playfully, likely waiting for Anzu to finish her shift. The younger Bakura sibling seemed happy, leaning against the table with his hand cupping his cheek, listening to Yuugi with their conversation too quiet for Mariku to hear on the other side of the mall. They seemed pretty happy. Recalling Anzu's demands for him to apologise to Yuugi, he glanced at Rishid, noticing his brother still walking slightly in front of him without having noticed that Mariku had slowed down.

Looking back at Yuugi, he decided to just leave it until tomorrow morning, wanting to not ruin his mood with dealing with the more obnoxious boys that were still fighting nearby. Leaving without the group not even knowing he was there, Mariku kept quiet all the way to where they had parked the car, taking care not to push the book into his stomach when he sat down in the passenger seat. The hum of the engine returned, blocking out any conversation that the brothers would have, even though Mariku honestly prefered the silence. Rishid somehow knew that, knowing that Mariku wasn't a person who was fond of small talk, and instead turned the radio on to listen to some music, much to the younger Ishtar's relief.

The vibration of the bass in the song could be felt in his feet and fingertips, his hand resting on the small armrest underneath the door handle while the other was left on his lap. His phone had been silent all day, especially after he had sorted everything out with Anzu, until he felt it vibrate in his pocket. Peeking down at the screen, he saw that Ishizu had texted him, giving him the all clear to come back home. Thank fuck, otherwise it would've been really awkward to walk through the door to a half decorated birthday dinner. Rishid noticed Mariku looking down at his phone, somewhat curious over what it was as he asked his younger brother. "You've been getting a lot of texts today."

"Mmm-hmm." Mariku hummed back, shoving his phone back into his pocket as he lied. "Some friends from school."

"I saw you talking to that Anzu girl before." Rishid revealed, staring at the road while Mariku's heart dropped, unsure what to say before the grown man pointed out. "She's a nice girl. Honestly, I think you two are perfect for each other."

"...Huh?" Mariku was stunned. Any words that he wanted to say died in his throat, it closing up to the point where he felt like he couldn't breathe. Him and Anzu? Ridiculous, she couldn't even stand being in a ten metre radius to him, and she wasn't his type. Even though she did have beautiful brown eyes, the person attached to them was too much for him to handle.

That was when he realised that he was just staring at Rishid with widened eyes, having not said anything while the other person in the car shrugged. "I just thought you and Anzu were cute."

"Nope, not today, not ever." Mariku rejected, leaning into his seat while still reeling from the misunderstanding. Despite a small raise of the eyebrow from Rishid, he thankfully let the subject go and instead focused on driving, the both of them sitting in silence while the radio carried on playing some tunes. Managing to get over the brief embarrassment, Mariku watched the outside world through his window, staring at the blurs that passed by while they drove along the road, thankfully not hitting the same traffic on the way to their home that they did beforehand.

His phone fell silent after the text from Ishizu. Wondering what they did for Rishid's birthday, he found himself able to find out soon when the car pulled up into the familiar street, driving along slowly as some kids carried on playing with their football at the dead end of the road, grabbing their ball when they saw the car approaching. Braking in front of the house, Rishid turned the engine off, taking the keys out while Mariku got out of the car, standing with his hand resting on the top of the door when he noticed the football rolling towards him. Closing the car door, he approached the ball and placed his foot on top of it, stopping it from rolling under the car, and stared at the kids running up to him. They paused, staring at him nervously while trying to get one of them to ask the towering teen for their ball back.

With a smirk, he lightly kicked it back to them. "Here. Try not to hit my car while I'm here."

Nodding quickly, they ran off with their ball, likely going to carry on with their game. Mariku left them be, rather following after Rishid as they walked up the path to the front door. Key in hand, the older brother opened the door and pushed it, entering the house while Mariku glanced around, wondering where Ishizu and Malik were before he heard them loudly announce. "Surprise!"

Quickly catching up with Rishid, who had disappeared into the kitchen while Mariku was distracted, he found that Ishizu and Malik had been busy with Rishid gone, having turned the entire kitchen into a colourful and bright party with a banner hanging on the wall, the words reading _Happy 26th Birthday, Rishid_ in Arabic. The table was laid out with a bounty of food, all of which Ishizu and Malik worked hard to recreate their home country's traditional meals. It had been a while since Mariku had eaten these types of food, his mouth practically watering at the sight of it all, though he was stopped from Ishizu announced with a smile. "Come sit here and we can have a picture together as a family."

Rishid was visibly stunned. Standing there with slightly widened eyes, he seemed unsure what to say, and Mariku couldn't blame him much, given that they hardly ever celebrated his birthday back home. At least they could do that in their new home. Malik came forward, grabbing Rishid's hand as he guided the eldest Ishtar to a chair situated at the end of the table, waiting for him to sit down, still stunned, before gesturing to Mariku. "Come on, Mariku, get in the picture!"

Moving to Rishid's other side, he stared at Ishizu, who had backed off with a camera in her hands, raising it up while her family got ready for the photo. Malik standing on one side with a bright grin on his face, Mariku managed a more controlled smile, actually feeling happy amongst his family after everything that went on. It was peaceful, fun even, and when Ishizu took the picture, she approached Mariku and passed him the camera, asking him politely. "Can you take this next one, Mariku?"

"Sure, give it here." He accepted, taking the camera offered to him by his older sister. Leaving Rishid's side, he turned around to see that Ishizu had filled the empty space that he was in just then, resting a hand on Rishid's shoulder while smiling softly. No longer wearing her hair in its decorations, she instead let it flow freely, her long black hair reaching past the middle of her back with it moving with every step she took. Backing up a little bit, he lifted the camera and tried to get a clear shot, sticking his tongue out slightly until he managed to stop his hands from doing that annoying slight shaking that they often did.

With a pretty good shot, he clicked the button and waited as a flash flicked on the other siblings, before a photo was spat out at the bottom, nearly dropping on the floor before he managed to grab it. It was a pretty good photo, given that the polaroid camera that Ishizu bought a few months ago, and staring down at the photo, he couldn't help but smile at everyone's happy expressions, seeing that even Rishid was smiling slightly between his other siblings. Glancing up, he saw Ishizu approaching him, taking the camera and photo as she was visibly pleased with the photo. "Thank you, Mariku."

"Why you take photos with that old brick is beyond me." He started, approaching the table as Rishid and Malik, hungry and ready to dine on the beautiful food, started helping themselves to it. Sitting down beside his twin, he carried on while enjoying some koshari that he spooned onto his plate. "You have a phone, too. Why do you always take polaroid pictures?"

"I think they're neat." Ishizu confessed, setting the camera down on the kitchen counter and taking her place on the other side of the table, by Rishid as he carried on enjoying the multitude of food that no doubt took forever to prepare. It was honestly a skill that Ishizu was able to do all this in the couple of hours that she had. Letting her have that one, he chewed on his food, enjoying the spicy sauce that coated the lentils and egyptian rice, though he was slightly disappointed with the strictly vegetarian options on the table. Still, he couldn't complain with food that tasted that good.

"I got you something too, Rishid." Malik piped up, standing up from his chair and disappearing into the living room while the others sat at the table, enjoying their food and waiting for the teen to return. The book Mariku bought rubbed against his stomach under his jacket, making sitting there somewhat uncomfortable with the hard corner jabbing him in the stomach. Hidden under the table, he managed to sneak it from underneath his jacket, instead balancing it on his lap while Malik returned with a wrapped box, handing it to Rishid with a bright grin. "Open it up!"

"You guys didn't have to get me anything." Rishid pointed out quietly.

"You're family. Of course, we'd get you something for your birthday." Ishizu brushed off, staring at the box as she pushed Rishid gently. "Go on, open it."

He did so, tearing the wrapping off until he got a box, slowly opening the lid off and peering inside. Curious over what was in there, Mariku found himself leaning to see, joining his other siblings in watching the birthday boy's face when he pulled out the different things that Malik had packed into the box. The first thing that he held was a new watch, the straps a sleek black colour with silver ornaments on it, definitely classier than the cheap one that Rishid took to wearing for a good couple of years. Staring down at it, he was pleased with it as he slowly took his old watch off, fastening the new one on as Malik explained. "Your old one was getting a bit broken. I thought you'd like that one better."

"It's perfect. What else is in here?" Rishid wondered, taking out some new gloves for the winter and a handmade scarf that Ishizu knitted, though she still needed some work obviously given the wonky needlework and interesting colours that she picked. Mariku had to stifle laughter that was building up in his chest at the sight of the scarf, not wanting to annoy Ishizu as they were too busy watching Rishid carry on looking through the box. Wow, they packed a lot of things in there.

After some new books, a pair of funny looking socks, and other bits and bobs that got a few chuckles out of the normally stoic man, he got to the bottom of the box and froze, staring down with a shocked expression that made Mariku worried. Getting to his feet, he peered over into the box and felt all air in his lungs leave at once. At the bottom, once buried under numerous presents that the others had packed in, was a large framed picture of all of them when they were younger, when Mariku and Malik were only around four given how short they were compared to now. It was the only family picture that Rishid was in, but he thought they left it back in Egypt when they had to leave, forgetting to grab it in the rush to leave their abusive household.

"A family friend of mine managed to post it here a few days ago." Ishizu explained, her voice a tender softness while Rishid slowly pulled it out of the box. "I hoped you would like it."

"It's perfect. Thank you, really." He warmly replied, suddenly being pulled into a hug by Malik, with Ishizu joining in. Mariku stood there awkwardly, unsure what to do until he felt Malik pull him in by his arm, feeling the warmth of his family around him that lowered his defenses, his eyes drooping slightly in peace as he felt Malik's cheek pushed up against his. Finally managing to get out when it started to prove too claustrophobic for him, he sat back down in his seat, finding the book by his foot before he got up to see what was in Rishid's present. With a chance to give it to his brother, he leaned down and picked it up, finally showing it to the others while grinning.

"I got you this!" He confessed, passing the book to Rishid while the latter took it with a raised eyebrow, realising that it was the thing that Mariku was hiding under his jacket for most of the day. Hopefully, it didn't smell of his sweat. Flipping the book open, he moved through the pages, surprised with the beauty of the pictures on the old pages and the old text written in beautiful calligraphy.

"Thank you, Mariku. This is beautiful." Rishid replied gratefully, closing the book and putting it in the box with all his other gifts, moving it off the table so that the family could enjoy the meal.

Digging back into his koshari, Mariku remembered something, quickly adding with his mouth half full of food. "Oh, and Anzu said Happy Birthday."

"That's nice of her. Is this when you were talking to her before?" Ishizu and Malik perked up at the mention of that, turning to stare at Mariku while the latter carried on with his food, hoping that Rishid wouldn't tell them of his misunderstanding beforehand. Sadly, his brother had no such problem with that, adding to the others. "I saw them talking by Burger World today. He got all defensive when I asked if there was anything going on between them."

Malik let out a sharp bark of laughter, causing Mariku to glare at him as he replied in amusement. "Mariku and Anzu? Pfft, she can't even stand being in the same school as him."

"Shut it." Mariku snapped, punching his brother in the upper arm roughly. He got narrowed glares from his twin, who sat there rubbing the tender flesh of his arm while Ishizu carried on eating her food.

"She's a pretty girl, Mariku. All boys your age start thinking about girls and such, maybe it's time for you to look for someone to settle into a relationship with? Who knows, it could do you some good to have something stable in your life." Mariku couldn't help but groan at the thought of getting a girlfriend. He was perfectly fine with his single, bachelor life, and even if he wasn't, there was nobody around that he wanted to be in that kind of relationship with. Especially not Anzu.

"She ain't my type."

"Yeah, she's lacking a few inches down below." Malik shot back, having recovered from the punch enough to keep throwing jabs at Mariku. If he wasn't being as spiritual as Ishizu, he sure was being a little dick, much to Mariku's chagrin as he glared at his twin again.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He growled, ready to punch him again before Ishizu butted in with stern looks, not ready to let them ruin Rishid's birthday with their endless bickering. Backing off, Mariku carried on eating his food, keeping quiet while Malik carried on talking with Ishizu and Rishid, thankfully distracting them enough for them not to bother Mariku. What did his twin mean by that? Just because he didn't have a girlfriend didn't mean anything, and Malik implying that he was gay set his teeth on edge. He wasn't gay. Constantly listening to his father lecture on and on about the sins of homosexuality sure had a way of messing with a young Mariku's head, and even know, he pushed himself away from the mere hint that he wasn't straight.

Hell, he didn't feel that way for any guy, so Malik was talking a load of shit as always. Hopefully. Either way, he ignored his brother's snide comments and carried on enjoying the family gathering, thankful that they moved on from trying to pair him off with Anzu or some other female relative of one of Ishizu's work friends. That was the last thing he wanted, and marriage was even lower on the list. If anything, he would be grateful to get through the last year of school with alright grades. At least Bakura was there to tutor him. When the food was eaten and the party was over, Rishid drove Mariku back to Bakura's, bidding him goodnight before disappearing into the darkness of the city, leaving the teen boy standing there with a bag of new clothes that he bought that day.

Walking back into the house, he was greeted by a cheerful Amane, who returned back from her friend's, before being bombarded by questions over what he bought. When he showed her his new jacket, he was left jacketless as she stole it, putting some new pins on it to make it look more fashionable, or whatever excuse she gave him before disappearing into the living room. Even if he wasn't in a relationship with anyone, that didn't make his life any less shitty with Bakura and his family around. He was perfectly fine with it as it was.


	10. The Past Rarely Stays There

Much to Mariku's disappointment, the weekend could only last so long before the students of the city were shoved back into school. Waking up early with his alarm blaring in his ears, he had to muster up the patience not to throw the damn thing out of the window, instead getting ready and heading into the dreaded place with Bakura and his younger siblings. Everyone around him looked how he felt, with glazed over eyes that needed time to actually focus on what was going on around them, and some even taking the free time before lessons to catch up on some sleep. He thought about doing the same, only to be pestered by Malik and Bakura in order to keep him awake, chatting away to each other by his desk while Mariku sat there with his head buried in his arms, staring ahead, barely listening to his brother and friend as they talked about the most random things.

"It doesn't look that bad anymore." Malik pointed out, moving Bakura's head to get a better look at the scratches on his face. They didn't look so angry as they did yesterday, but they were still pretty sore looking with the skin around the shallow cuts a deep red colour. "Tell me why you you decided to wash a cat again?"

With his face released, Bakura rubbed the sore scratches softly, wincing as he explained in a deadpan tone. "Anubis was dirty. I hate dirty things in my house."

"Should kick Mariku out, then." Malik joked. His brother didn't find it funny however, glaring heavily at him from his spot on the desk, unable to find the energy to punch him and instead settling for just sitting there. How he missed his bed at this exhausting time.

After the insult, he started to ignore what Bakura and Malik were talking about, finding no interest in the topics they were discussing, whether it was some old movie that Bakura had finished watching or some motorbike that Malik was dying to save up for. Rather, he started drifting off into sleep, his eyelids feeling unbearably heavy as he figured he had enough time for a short nap, allowing them to fall shut with his breathing slowing down until it was barely noticeable. He was in no mood to listen on to the drabble going on in his classroom, though he couldn't help but glance over at the spot where Yuugi's group usually sat with one eye open, noticing that Anzu and Yuugi were chatting to each other quietly while their friends carried on loudly talking about some shit or other.

Interest peaked, it grew when he saw them quickly glancing over, Anzu staring at him as if silently telling him to com over and apologise for his behaviour already, before they quickly looked away again. They couldn't be any more obvious that they were talking about it, unless they were standing right in front of him and loudly announcing it to his face. Mariku didn't dare to move, not with Jounouchi and Atem lurking about like sharks circling their kill. If he was gonna do what Anzu wanted him to do, he'd have to wait until he could get Yuugi alone, or at least with as few friends as possible. It was a hard task, given that they all stuck together like glue. Forced to wait for the right time, he closed his eyes again, enjoying a few more minutes of sleep before Malik's voice brought him out of it.

"Dude, don't fall asleep. You'll feel like shit when you wake up again."

"I feel like shit now." Mariku shot back, his voice muffled with his mouth buried into the crook of his arm. It was unbelievably warm, with the sun rays shining through the window and heating up the room to the point where he couldn't handle it with his school jacket on, instead leaving it hanging on the back of his chair. Eyes forced open, he stared down at the tattoo inked into the skin of his forearm, mumbling into his arm. "I ain't in the mood for school today."

"I think everyone feels like that right now." Bakura replied softly, glancing around at the practically undead students that were trying so hard not to just collapse on their desks while waiting for the school bell to ring for first lesson. Mariku felt their pain, though at least this Monday he wasn't dealing with a hangover after binging on the weekend. It had been an entire week since his last drink. He wouldn't had called himself an alcoholic, but after going cold turkey he'd been suffering from some serious bouts of nausea and the sweats, especially with the weather not helping.

A dull pain pounded in his head, behind his eyes, almost like something was trying to push them right out of their sockets, and he didn't have anything to lessen the pain. It didn't help that he hadn't eaten that morning either, unable to stomach anything after being hit by another wave of sickness that made his stomach churn painfully. There was no way he'd be able to handle the school day like this. That was, until that little voice at the back of his mind edged him on, pointing out that he once finished a school day completely hungover. If he could do that, he could handle today with the effects of withdrawal wracking every fiber of his body.

The sun was too bright. Groaning to himself, he buried his face into his arms in an attempt to shield them from the blinding light, wishing that he was able to just turn the sun off to give himself a break, though he didn't even have curtains to block out the annoying sun. From his side, he heard rustling going on, before something that felt like plastic poked him in his exposed arm. Slowly, his eyes peeked from behind his arms, noticing that Bakura had one of those breakfast bars in his hand, trying to stir him awake by repeatedly poking him with it. "You need to eat something, otherwise you're gonna have a hard time concentrating today."

"Oh, I have a drink if you need it!" Malik pointed out, pulling out a water bottle from his bag and putting it down in front of Mariku's arms. Staring at it, he picked it up and opened up the top, taking a large gulp of it in hopes that it would at least help his headache. Water. Tasteless and not that fun to drink, but he wouldn't pass up a drink if it was offered to him. Bakura passed him the breakfast bar, turning his attention to zipping up his bag while Mariku started to chew down on his miniature breakfast.

It wasn't much, and his stomach violently rebelled at the thought of having something inside it, but at least he didn't barf all over his desk and others sitting around him. Crunchy nuts and some sort of sweet honey drizzled over it, the snack didn't taste all that bad, if not for the fact that there were little raisins peeking out of the various types of nuts packed tight in there, much to Mariku's disgust. Raisins were practically dried up grapes, but a million times more gross. Forcing himself to swallow it, he grimaced at the inevitable feeling of vomit ready to be expelled from his stomach, pressing his hand against his abdomen in hope that it would calm the overactive organ down. Thankfully, there was some luck on his side that day, feeling his stomach calm down slightly with something in it at least to digest.

This day couldn't be done more quickly. Finally, the school bell rang loudly, echoing in his ears as his headache instantly worsened ten fold, like someone had taken a sledgehammer and bashed him in the back of his head with it. Covering up his ears until the piercing sound ended, he rubbed his temples to try and calm his wrecked head down, all while everyone else was getting up and ready to go to their different classes. What did he even have this morning? Turning to his hanging jacket behind him, he pulled out his timetable, having to uncrumple it to get a proper look at it, before groaning loudly and throwing himself back into his chair. Chemistry, and then Languages with Geography quickly following after it. Monday sucked. It was literally the worst day of the week, in anyone's opinion, and especially Mariku's opinion.

He had to go. Even with the idea of skipping out to find somewhere quiet and empty to have a rest appearing momentarily in his mind, he pushed it away, unwilling to let those intrusive thoughts win, and got himself ready to follow after Bakura to the science labs that they had their Science lesson in. Summer definitely came early this year, with most of the other students having to take off their jackets and walk around in school shirts so that they didn't boil to death. Even Bakura had his jacket tied around his slim hips, similar to how Mariku wore his jacket often, and with every step he took, the bottom of the tied jacket swished about like it was caught in a draft. Staring up ahead, Mariku couldn't help but notice that the Friendship Gang had disappeared, wondering how a group that big and loud could go and disappear without him noticing.

Silently, he took another peek at his practically destroyed timetable, trying to make sure it didn't fall apart in his hands from how often he manhandled the fragile paper, and noticed Geography written in that chicken scratch handwriting of his. Anzu and Yuugi were in that class with him. That would be a good time to try and catch up with him, Mariku knowing that he didn't have Art until tomorrow afternoon. Shoving it back in his pocket, he quietly talked with Bakura all the way to the lab, wondering what they would be doing in that lesson. Often they saw experiments, or even participated in them, but that was followed by mountains of paperwork that rendered his brain to mush and caused his hands to cramp up from writing so much. Blowing up stuff and setting them on fire was cool, but writing about them? Not so much.

It was similar to the other lab rooms that they used for Physics and Biology, though there were cupboards lining the edge of the room that was packed of scientific experiment equipment, like bunsen burners and vials that would hold the acids or other fluids. The tables were that same white marble that decorated the other labs, with uncomfortable wooden stools that Mariku hated sitting on, his abnormally long legs standing on the floor weirdly under the table, so that his knees were always knocking into the bottom of the group's table whenever he tried to move about. None of the other shorter students had that problem, most of them sitting in their assigned seats while the teacher was nowhere to be seen. Not bothering to wonder where he was and instead sitting down in his seat, he leaned into his hand with his eyes half closed.

Even Bakura himself started to grow bored with waiting for the teacher, looking like he was ready to sleep right there and then. Staring at him from the corner of his eyes, Mariku wondered when his friend even went to bed last night, knowing that it was pretty late that he himself disappeared into his room, with Bakura still awake on his laptop, trying to finish up an essay for History that needed to be in by today. Though they wanted a few minutes before lesson started, their teacher burst through the door with an energy that no one could possibly possess on a Monday morning. Even the slamming of the door as it opened didn't startle Mariku like it did with the others, as he was sitting there half asleep in his own little world while the teacher enthusiastically chatted amongst the students.

"Alright, we'll be doing experiments today using the plans we written up last week. Everyone should have their notes with them." Well, Mariku had a half plan, and what looked like a doodle that he never had time to finish the last lesson he had in this subject. At least he had Bakura to help him, listening as his teacher carried on with a smile. "I've decided to change things up this week. I'll be choosing the partners for this experiment!"

Oh,  _shit._ Mariku swore constantly within the confines of his mind, hoping for dear God that his teacher had mercy on him and just let the teen boy do his work with his best friend. Looking down at a piece of paper that was sitting at his desk beforehand, he adjusted his glasses, a paid of smart looking ones that didn't have thick lenses like Mr Nakamura's did, and honestly made the teacher look like one of those Literature teachers that girls would fawn over. Save the fact that Mr Watanabe wasn't cool or mysterious, rather a bright and bubbly man who everyone enjoyed talking to, even if he was often too happy for Mariku to stomach when he was exhausted and wanted to be literally anywhere than school.

"Bakura!" Watanabe read out, turning to look over at the white haired boy who sat there quietly. Mariku felt like he was obviously sweating beside him, hoping that their teacher didn't send him to work with some other kid while he got stuck with someone who hated his guts or was scared shitless of him. Unfortunately, today was not Mariku's day, as he pointed to a girl at the other end of the class. "I'd like you to partner up with Asami, please."

"Okay." He replied softly, sharing a brief glance at Mariku as the latter begged him silently to stay. Sadly, he had to go, standing up from his seat and moving over to an empty space near his newly assigned partner, who shrunk in size when he saw that Mariku was glaring heavily at her. Given his very little time in his lessons, and the fact that he doesn't bother to learn who actually shares them with him, he had absolutely no idea who Asami was, but whoever she was, he didn't appreciate those coy little hair flips she did while trying to strike up a conversation with him.

Bakura brought unwanted attention from many girls in school. Mariku was unsure whether he wanted to laugh at his friend's annoyance at being bothered by many infatuated girls, or get angry with how blatantly they often intruded on his friend's space. He sure as hell wouldn't like girls acting that way towards him, so who knew how Bakura felt with all the attention?

Still, he was distracted with Watanabe carrying on to read through the list, pairing up students that rarely even talked to each other, and eventually the number of people that could be Mariku's partner whittled down one by one. Thankfully, Honda was paired up with another boy in their class, but that left Atem behind as a possible candidate, and it was obvious that he was hoping not to be Mariku's partner as much as he wished he wouldn't be Atem's. The pool of possible candidates eventually came down to just them two, however, and much to Mariku's frustration, he was tossed in by Watanabe as he happily pointed out. "Mariku, I want you to work with Atem, today. Maybe his high achievements will drive you to work harder for those better grades."

Yay. Mariku refused to move, anchoring himself to his seat so that Atem had to come to him, and with some glares and dirty looks being tossed between them, Atem decided to get things over with and moved from his spot. Pleased with that small victory, Mariku had to stop a sly smirk from pulling at his lips when Atem reached his part of the connected tables, sitting down next to him with a deep scowl permanently plastered to his face. Without even uttering a word to each other, they listened as Mr Watanabe explained the purpose of their experiment that day. Reactivity. Mariku's favourite, with them setting fire to various metals to see what colour they would burn and exposing them to water and diluted acids to see their reaction. Much to his disappointment, Watanabe did the experiments on the most volatile of the metals they had; Potassium.

"Now if we go down the column of metals that I write on the board," he explained, gesturing to the large arrow he drew on the board with the names of the metals written beside it. "We'll see that, the further we go down, the less reactive these metals are with water and acids. Potassium, which I have some right here, is the most volatile of these available metals. So, we aren't allowed to have students mess around with them."

Boring. Mariku listened despite the grips of boredom latching onto him, and even started to understand what was being explained to him through Mr Watanabe's way of physically showing the class. When he dropped a small piece of potassium into a beaker of water, the whole class oohed and aahed at the sight of a beautiful purple flame that was burning even when the metal was in water. Smoke started forming off the burning piece of potassium as it skidded around the surface of the water inside the beaker, letting off a faint buzzing sound before it finally disappeared in the slightly murky water. With the experiment shown, the teacher moved away and started writing equations on the board, explaining about the chemical reactions and the products of said reactions that form.

Jotting down the explanations and the equations to make sure he didn't forget, Mariku glanced over at Atem's notes, feeling somewhat overwhelmed at the sheer detail that the other teen went into, and none of that confusion could be seen in those narrowed deep purple eyes. Before he would notice Mariku staring at him, the latter turned away again and stared down at his own notes, nearly missing the instructions that Watanabe gave the class before handing out goggles to protect their eyes. Eventually, a pair dropped in front of Mariku, nearly giving him a shock as he was pulled out of his thoughts and instead forced to focus on the task at hand. At least Atem wasn't saying anything to him, rather putting the safety equipment on over his ridiculously huge hairstyle, those black and purplish red bangs moving about with his fiddling about.

Why did he always get the most destroyed equipment in these lessons? Staring down at the scratched lenses of his safety goggles, Mariku managed to get the strap around his own enormous hair, having to manipulate the rigid points of platinum blonde locks before the strap made its way to the back of his head, nearly snapping back painfully when he lost grip on it. Rubbing the sore spot from where the strap smacked him, he stood there, practically useless as Atem took over their experiment, setting up the equipment efficiently and even starting the experiment, complete with note taking, all while ignoring the taller boy standing next to him. Usually, Mariku would've taken that chance to skip out and enjoy a break time, but he wanted a good grade in this subject, and he wasn't gonna understand anything if he was left out in the cold like this.

So, despite how awkward the silence was between them, he tried to shatter it by piping up. "So, uhh, what're we doing?"

"The experiment Mr Watanabe showed us." Well, that was a start. Though Mariku could've done without the sarcasm. While he carried on standing there, unsure what to do, he was finally given a bone when Atem added in a stern voice. "Write down what you see in the experiment."

With the new order, he started jotting down everything that he saw happen when Atem added a new metal to the various beakers they had, even taking a peek at the other's notes so that he knew what he was writing down was write. As they went further down the column that was written in their notes, the metals started reacting less and less to the water, with the lowest metals just sitting there doing nothing. Those were the more uninteresting moments of the experiment, Mariku had to admit, with him sitting down on his stool when he got tired of standing around and waiting, all while Atem was busying himself with note taking and carrying on with the experiments.

"Mariku," his voice caught Mariku's attention, causing him to blink after realising that he was staring out into space, slowly turning his head to look up at the other student in the pair. Atem looked annoyed, really annoyed, with beakers in his hands and his face a deep scowl as he ordered him. "Go and empty these out."

He could've added a please. Still, Mariku had to take the beakers without bashing them over Atem's head, his grip tightening on the beakers as he stormed over to the sink, unrelenting on his hold on the beakers while he loomed over the singular sink on their side of the room. Other students were around, cleaning up the equipment with their experiments having came to an end, though they moved away when they saw Mariku coming over looking like he was ready to fight someone. Atem had a reason to be that much of a dick, he repeated to himself, trying to urge himself to calm down before he exploded and launched the things at the unsuspecting Atem's head, instead placing his beakers on the side of the sink and swilling out the solutions down the sink.

If Anzu knew about his blowing up at Yuugi on Friday, then that meant that everyone else in that group knew as well. Including Atem.

Cursing to himself in his mind, he wasn't paying much attention to what he was doing, and accidentally pushed a beaker off the side and into the sink, causing it to smash into numerous sharp glass pieces about the sink. Fuck. The sound of the glass smashing echoed through the quiet room, with only the low chatter amongst the students being the other source of sound in the room, resulting in everyone to stop in what they were talking about and stare at Mariku standing by the sink. With Mr Watanabe glancing over in confusion, Mariku panicked internally, trying to think about what he should do with the beaker in bits in the sink, and tried to grab a shard to try and cover up his mess. Not the smartest thing he could've done, given that the shard cut deep into the palm of his hand.

"Fuck!" he swore loudly, dropping the shard back into the sink and pulling his bleeding hand away. It looked pretty bad, with blood dripping down onto the clean floor and forming small pools of the deep red fluid. In an instant, Mr Watanabe was by his side, trying to pry his hand from his chest in order to get a good look at it. Instincts kicked in, with Mariku wrenching himself away from his teacher's grip and backing away, glaring heavily as Watanabe stood there stunned.

"Erm, Atem, can you please escort Mariku to the nurse to have his hand checked out, please?" he asked gently, turning his head to the other student who stood there with a shocked expression on his face. Nodding softly, he walked up to Mariku's side, managing to convince him to follow after him silently with both of them leaving the lab room. It would've been better if his actual friend accompanied him to the nurse. Still, at least Atem wasn't using this moment to undermine Mariku or anything, rather walking beside him while Mariku held his injured hand close to him, trying not to drip blood on the floor like a trail as they walked.

"If you hold it up like this, it should bleed less." Atem pointed out, lifting Mariku's arm higher than his chest in hopes that it would slow the bleeding down. It stung bad, though it helped somewhat with his elevated arm, if it was only a bit awkward to hold it up like that the whole way to the nurse's office. With everyone in their classes, the hallways were empty and silent, only the sound of talking coming from the closed doors leading to different rooms, some louder than others.

Glancing at Atem, Mariku wondered on what he should say, or even do, with the other student ignoring him with his gaze unmoving from straight ahead. What should he do? Should he thank him? Walking slowly, his thoughts were distracted by the warm feeling on his hand, hoping that he didn't need to go and get stitches, or have his hand wrapped up again. He just healed up from his other wounds after punching that window last week. Eventually, Mariku decided to break the awkward silence between them and sighed. "Hey, I'm grateful that you came with me to the nurse's office."

"No you're not." Atem shot back, glaring at Mariku as he added before the other could butt in. "I'm only here because Mr Watanabe asked me to. If I had a choice, I would've let you go to the nurse's office yourself, considering it was you who decided it was the best idea to grab broken glass shards."

Well, that was true. Still, Mariku couldn't help but take offense at how Atem insisted that he was stupid, even if he did often do things on an impulse. Falling quiet after the brief callout, he did his best not to push Atem to keep ripping into him, especially with the tensions between them after Friday. Thankfully, Atem left it at that, likely preferring the newfounded silence between them again. It didn't last long, though, as they finally reached the nurse's office near the entrance into the school, having to pass by Principal Kimura's office to get there. No worn face peeked out from behind the heavy oak door, loudly demanding to know why these two students were out of their lessons or why Mariku was bleeding. Again.

The office was only small, with the nurse typing away at her desk and her back to the couple of chairs left for any injured student to sit down. Engrossed in what she was doing, she hadn't noticed Atem and Mariku standing there, the latter still bleeding on the floor, only realising that she had someone to see to when Atem cleared his throat. Staring at them with those doe like blue eyes, she ceased on her excessive typing and stood up immediately, approaching Mariku when she saw his bleeding hand and sighed softly. "Hon, what have you done now?"

"I broke a beaker in Chemistry." He revealed bluntly, following after the nurse as she sat him down in one of the chairs.

Atem didn't move from his spot at the door. Rather, he stared at Mariku before moving his gaze to the nurse as she approached him, smiling brightly while she sent him off. "Thank you for bringing him here. You can go back to your lesson now, Atem."

He didn't need to be told twice, disappearing from the doorway without even sparing another look at Mariku. With other things on his mind, he didn't pay much attention to it at the moment, instead staring down at the sliced flesh of his hand and wincing when the nurse, having come back with a cloth and some disinfectant, started cleaning up the wound from the blood that continued to drip out, dying his bronzed skin and the cloth a deep red. When it was cleaned up enough, she paused, getting a good look at the wound which, with most of the blood clean up, doesn't look as bad as it did before. "Well, you should be more careful with broken glass, hon, but I think you got off lucky here. It doesn't need stitches."

That caused him to breathe a sigh of relief. Disinfecting the wound stung like a bitch, though, his teeth gritting together while the nurse carried on treating the wound, leaning over to a narrow cupboard to grab a large plaster from it. Her grip on his hand was gentle, careful not to accidentally hurt him, and he couldn't even count the number of times he came into the nurse's office with one injury or another, forcing her to patch him up time and time again. Black eyes, cut lips, some bruises and cuts that were minor compared to the more dangerous injuries that he got outside of school, he avoided going with more serious injuries as she would had been forced to send him to hospital.

"I think you can survive for the rest of the school day." She joked, covering up his hand with a warm smile. "Just be more careful next time, okay?"

"Any chance I could convince you to let me spend the rest of this lesson here?" Mariku replied slyly, hoping that he could avoid the rest of the lesson spent with Atem. Sadly, the nurse shook her head with her smile still there, finding the attempt amusing, but unable to allow the student to bunk off the rest of the lesson in her office. So, with a deep frown, he nodded and sighed. "Alright. Thanks, Ms."

"Take care, hon." With that, she went back to whatever had her attention on that computer of hers. Quietly, as to not disrupt her concentration, he left the small office and carried on walking down a hallway. He was in no mood to go back to that classroom, where the other students would likely gawk at him and whisper about his clumsy accident, and he'd rather not have to deal with Atem anymore. At least he tried to strike up a conversation, but it was painfully clear that the A grade student wanted nothing to do with him.

There were still other people he could try. So, spotting the boys' toilets near the front door of the school, he snuck over to the closed door and pushed through, grateful that there was no one in the room save for himself. With his bag left in his class, he'd have to go back and get it, already formulating an excuse as to why he hadn't came back to the lesson, while pulling out his phone and making himself comfortable in a stall. Door closed so that no one would see him if they walked in, he propped a foot against it while sitting on the toilet bowl, making sure the seat was put down so that he didn't accidentally fall into it. Eerily quiet, he couldn't make out anything outside the toilets, or through the open window to a spot down below where people who bunked off lessons often ran off to.

Bored out of his skull, he put his headphones in and started playing some music, sitting there with his songs blasting in his ears, and browsing through the games that he had downloaded on his phone. Playing away for a while, he paused whenever he heard someone come into the toilets, turning his music down in case they'd hear him. After doing whatever they needed to do, they would leave, all while ignoring the shut door leading into his stall. Only when he was sure that they were gone did he turn his music back on, keeping a headphone out in case he needed to listen for someone coming back in. His arse started getting numb from sitting on the uncomfortable toilet seat, his legs cramped up in the ridiculously small space that caused the muscles in them to cramp up.

Ready to leave and go somewhere else, he froze when he heard the door opening again. Voice muttered from outside his stall, seemingly belonging to two people who he recognised immediately, keeping quiet with his music being turned down to keep the others from hearing where he was. That obnoxiously loud voice, the one that belonged to no other than Jounouchi, was tired and quiet, almost a complete opposite to how he usually sounded like. Water running filled the silence, Mariku unsure what was going on until he heard Jounouchi mutter. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. Goddammit…"

"What's the plan? You can't exactly pack your stuff and fly to America." That was Honda. He should've been in Chemistry with everyone else, though it seemed like he managed to get past Mr Watanabe to go to the toilets. What they were talking about, however, caught Mariku's interest more than how Honda managed to get out of his lesson. America? What were they talking about?

"I don't know. Shizuka needs me, but I can barely afford my half of the rent." Mariku stilled his breathing, unwilling to let the others know that he was eavesdropping on their conversation. He felt almost like an asshole for listening in on Jounouchi's personal problems, but there wasn't much he could do in the small space, and he definitely couldn't sneak out with the boys standing by the sinks situated near the door. So, he was stuck.

"Dude, I told you, the rent's alright. You should just worry about saving up for the plane ticket you need." Honda pointed out, footsteps suggesting that he was moving towards the sink as well, likely having been by the opposite wall before that.

"I ain't no freeloader! I just need to see if I can get some extra shifts at work." Honda sighed at that, likely unsure how to help his friend when he was proving to be this stubborn about wanting to do things his way. With his legs starting to seriously ache, Mariku quietly hoped that they would leave the bathroom and have their designated friendship counselling session somewhere that wasn't the toilets.

Much to his luck, the school bell rang, signalling to everyone within earshot that it was time for next lesson. Sighing to himself, he was relieved when the two boys standing just outside his stall left for their lesson, Honda trying to lift his friends spirit as he enthusiastically clapping him on his back. "Come on, you better not be late for Languages again."

"Is that meant to make me feel better?" Both of them disappeared. Slowly, with the feeling having been lost in his legs, Mariku slipped out of the stall and stretched out his arms, the unused muscle pained from the sudden movement. Relenting, he let them drop down to his sides while exiting the toilets as well. Much to his surprise, Bakura was walking down the hallway towards the nurse's office, Mariku's school bag on his shoulder and swaying about with each step he took. As soon as he noticed Mariku coming out of the boys' toilets, he made a beeline straight for his friend.

"I grabbed this for you." Passing the bag back to Mariku, Bakura stared down at the plastered hand, lifting up the hand as he added. "It mustn't have been that bad if they only plastered it."

"Yep, I only sliced it a little. Looked a lot worse with the blood and shit." He explained, pulling his hand away from Bakura's grip and instead shoving it in his pants pocket, adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder while Bakura raised an eyebrow, glancing between Mariku and the toilets' door.

"Please tell me that you weren't hiding in there again." Mariku just stood there, staring down at Bakura with a blank expression, all while his brain tried to think of a good enough excuse that would be able to stand up again his friend's brilliant bullshit detector. His silence was his downfall, however, as Bakura sighed and shook his head softly, the bangs in front of his eyes swishing about with the movement of his head. "I thought you were trying to not go back to your old habits."

"It was just one lesson. I didn't want to deal with Atem as a partner, and next lesson, we can go back to our old seats. So, what's the problem?" Mariku grumbled. It was only one lesson, and then he'd go back his lessons one time. It wasn't like he was constantly skipping class like he used to.

That didn't appease Bakura, however, and with a glare piercing into his own eyes, the white haired student pointed out in an annoyed tone. "Thin ice, Mariku. That's what you're on. At least you can have a plausible excuse for this, but I wouldn't go around and start skipping class just because people you don't like are in there."

"Fine. Whatever." Mariku shot back, his voice a deep growl, before walking off to get to his next lesson. If he was fast enough, he could get there without being late, though he left Bakura behind to go to his own classes after their short spat. The anger bubbling away at his friend disappeared as quickly as it appeared, and he couldn't help but feel like an ass for being short with Bakura. He was only looking out for Mariku, and hell, he did just as much for him as his family did. Glancing over his shoulder, he paused in the hallway, causing some of the other students that were walking around him to have to move suddenly to avoid colliding into him, glaring at the tanned boy yet refraining from actually saying anything.

Bakura was gone. Almost like he was never there to begin with, as the space where he stood a few moments ago was occupied by different students that were walking about to their next class. With his incoming lesson dragging his attention away from the problem, he turned back around and walked the rest of the way to their class, finding that most of the students in his class had made it before him, including Jounouchi, Anzu and Ryou. They all sat in a row, able to turn their heads and chat to each other while Mariku ignored them, recalling the conversation in the toilets when his eyes fell on Jounouchi. The blonde ignored him, looking like he was in a world of his own while Anzu listened intently to what Ryou was harping on about.

One of his RPGs, or something. Mariku couldn't listen to one of those rants without his short attention span betraying him and his mind wandering off deep into his daydreams. Yet, Anzu looked like she was actually interested in what her friend was saying, even if she did have a confused look at some points in the conversation. Mariku shared that feeling. Sitting a few seats behind them, he dropped his bag on the floor with a loud thud, not even bothering to stop his notebook from Chemistry from sliding out onto the floor. Bakura must had packed it up for him at the end of last lesson. Leaning into his arms, he said nothing when Ryou and Anzu glanced behind at him, trying not to be so obvious about it, though he could still make out those brief glances.

He didn't mind as much with Ryou looking at him, considering the boy wasn't much of a gossip as his friends, and was able to get away with much more with Mariku than his friends could. It was those doe eyes that got to him the most.

When the teacher came in, his brain turned off and he sat there staring at the other students' backs, sometimes turning his head to stare out the window to shake things up when he got bored of looking at the same white shirts or navy blue jackets. They were learning English, though many of the words were lost on Mariku as he paid the bare minimum of attention. It would likely help him look good later on when applying for jobs, knowing three languages, but English is so hard with so many different rules to the language, he found himself lost whenever he pulled himself from the grip of distraction and actually paid attention to the lesson. So, he went back to daydreaming, eventually making it to the end of class when the bell rang.

He couldn't get outta there fast enough. With Geography being the last lesson until lunch, he'd finally have the chance to hash things out with Yuugi. Anzu and the others of Yuugi's little group where left behind, Mariku able to move through the ever increasingly chockerblocked hallways with his longer legs and menacing look, meaning that other students unfortunate to be near him had to practically jump out of the way to avoid being bowled over by him. Ignoring any angry words from the more extrovert students, he started drifting off into his thoughts again, unable to shake off the feeling after the short lived argument between him and Bakura, wondering if he was hyperfocusing on it like he usually did, trying to focus on his lessons rather than the ball of anxiety that was sitting in his stomach, the sudden urge to vomit hitting him like a freight train.

While stuck in his thoughts, he was too slow to stop in his walking with one of the teachers suddenly appearing out of the staff room that he was approaching, both of them colliding each other with enough force that it sent the unfortunate woman tumbling to the floor, the papers that she was carrying going flying in the air in a huge explosion of paper. Snapping out of his thoughts, Mariku glanced down to see that it was his Japanese teacher, Mrs Yamamoto, who was unfortunate enough to have been shoved over by the distracted student. Immediately, he tried to help her up, making sure not to wrench her arm off when he pulled the teacher off of the floor, blurting apologies as he did so. "I'm really sorry, Mrs Yamamoto."

"Oh, Mariku! Just the person I needed to see!" she replied happily, balancing herself when she managed to get back to her feet. Mariku was curious what she meant, helping her gather up all her papers when he noticed his own, his name scribbled on the top in that recognizable awkward handwriting of his. When he peeked further at it, he realised that he scored pretty high marks, before it was suddenly plucked from his hand along with the other papers that he had picked up for his teacher. Looking around at her, he listened as she explained in a cheerful tone, her eyes half closed with a bright smile on her youthful looking face. "Your last work was excellent! I haven't managed to finish marking the last few of your class, but I think you're in the top couple in the entire class."

"Shit." That was all he managed to blurt out, confused on how he managed to get top marks out of the entire class. Him. Mariku Ishtar, one of the top students, and it actually made him feel better about himself, the anxiety wrecking his innards disappearing if only slightly while Yamamoto, having picked up the rest of her papers, and seemingly having let him off for swearing in front of her, nodded in response to his reaction.

"You're an intelligent boy, Mariku. If you pay attention to your other lessons, I'm sure you'd be able to turn things around with your grades." She explained, placing a hand on the space between his shoulder blades and guided him down the hallway. "Go on, you don't wanna be late for your lesson."

"Uh, yeah, thanks." He replied slowly, carrying on walking when the hand on his back disappeared. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed his teacher walking in the opposite direction, her feet moving quickly in an attempt to get to class on time after that brief distraction. Her words stuck to him, almost impossible to get off as he allowed a small smile to pull at his lips, the encouragement from the friendly woman lifting his spirits just in time for him to go into his Geography class.

Sure enough, Yuugi was sitting alone at the table that he usually sat at, with Anzu likely coming to class soon. Mariku could go over, start chatting with the short guy, but he froze, instead staring at Yuugi while feeling like an idiot. It wasn't hard. Just walk up to him, it should've been simple enough, and with everyone confused as to why Mariku was just standing there with a blank look on his face, he started to choke and quickly walked to his lonely desk. No one sat with him, pretty much like any other lesson he was in, and it was half because no one wanted to sit at the large desk and because the teacher didn't trust him enough to act nice with anyone else. Bag dropping on the floor with a quiet thud, he leaned into the palm of his hand, making sure not to press too much into the cut that was covered by the plaster.

Occasionally, he glanced over at Yuugi, unsure what to do or say even when he saw the other boy looking more dejected than usual. In fact, it looked like he hadn't been able to sleep with his skin looking a sickly pale, his normally large and bright eyes dull and staring down at the table, unmoving even when Mariku found himself staring, quickly glancing away. Anzu was quickly in the class behind him, sitting down next to Yuugi while the both of them chatted away, even if it was the teen girl who did most of the talking. Something was wrong. Mariku could tell, staring at the friends while they hadn't noticed his looks, likely distracted with whatever was troubling Yuugi. He didn't want to say anything, brushing off Anzu's asks and instead trying to trick her into thinking everything was alright, even though both she and Mariku could tell that something was obviously wrong.

Still, they had to pay attention to their lesson as their teacher called from the front of the class. "Alright, guys. Be quiet while I'm explaining today's lesson."

Mariku tried. He really did, but the thought that something was going on with Yuugi had distracted him from the lesson, his lavender eyes constantly glancing over at the other two that were sitting on the other side of the room. The bits and pieces that he got from the teacher gave him an overall idea of the topic that they would be doing for the next few weeks. Tectonic plates and the formation of mountains and volcanoes. It was pretty interesting, especially when the subject of volcanoes creeped into the conversation, but then the matter of establishing groups came up, and Mariku glanced around his empty desk, unable to stop that sinking feeling of loneliness from hitting him square in the stomach.

Everyone else grouped up, managing to get with their friends, and much to Mariku's surprise, he found that Yuugi, and even Anzu, had came over to his table, sitting down on the other side while the former explained with a weak smile. "We needed more people in our group. You looked pretty lonely over here."

"...Thanks." The silence between them after that was awkward. Mariku wouldn't lie, he was curious about what was going on with Yuugi, but with how much Anzu managed to get out of him, which was nothing, he'd only have the same luck with it. So, he left the other teen alone for now, instead focusing on their task that they were given by their teacher. While the students of the class write away about their lesson, the teacher went back to their computer, focused on what needed to be so badly typed up given their fast paced fingers typing on the keyboard, the clicking sound the only thing breaking the silence in the room, that and the quiet chatter between the group of friends.

Anzu and Yuugi said a few words between them, and occasionally the former helped Mariku with something on his work that he was stuck on. It was actually pretty nice not fighting with other people 24/7, and even Anzu held back some of her wit during the lesson, instead focusing most of her attention on Yuugi, trying to keep him cheerful even though he looked like all he wanted to do was disappear into his room. Mariku shared that feeling. The drone of the teacher's voice was going on in the background, though it fell on deaf ears while Mariku carried on writing down notes, including little doodles to help him properly understand the movement and formation patterns.

After half an hour passed, he felt a foot softly nudge his shin from under the table. Glancing up, he saw that it was Anzu who had been trying to get his attention slyly, making sure that she didn't grab the attention of Yuugi, even if the guy looked like he was in a whole other world of his own. The looks she gave him could only mean one thing, and he couldn't even squirm his way out of it, so, there was nothing else to do besides clearing his throat, trying to grab Yuugi's attention. "Hey, Yuugi?"

Eyes looking up from his half finished work, Mariku rubbed his cheek subconsciously under the gaze of the other teen boy, pushing the skin about nervously as he briefly glanced at Anzu, carrying on when she silently urged him. "So, I've been meaning to say this earlier, but… about Friday. I'm sorry. For being a dick."

"It's fine." It didn't seem fine, especially with how quick Yuugi brushed off his apologies. Eye twitching slightly with annoyance, Mariku tried to calm himself down, even if he was a little pissed at how the shortstack seemingly didn't care all that much, but then that little voice in the back of his mind pointed out solemnly. The way he looked and behaved, it was so unlike him. Something was wrong.

So, he'd find out what it was. "Yeah, well, it's kinda not. I was a dick. I get that you're a nice guy, but come on, even you can say that I was outta line."

"Yuugi, what's wrong?" Anzu joined in, just as worried for her friend as Mariku was. "You haven't been yourself all day. Has something happened?"

"No, nothing's wrong. I'm just… not feeling it today." Yuugi kept brushing off their concerns. That triggered alarm bells with Mariku, and he didn't like not knowing what was going on. However, he didn't feel alright with trying to force anything outta Yuugi, especially given their fragile relationship, and so delegated it to Anzu to get to the bottom of things.

"Come on, I'm your friend. We can tell each other anything." She pushed, trying not to push Yuugi too hard.

Glancing between them, Yuugi finally settled on staring at Mariku, his gaze unwavering and even making the taller student somewhat nervous, glancing away momentarily from that piercing stare, before pushing himself to meet Yuugi's stares again. They were scared, he could see as much, but there was also something deeper within those dark purple eyes, almost like anger that made him eerily similar to Atem. Gulping softly, he listened as Yuugi finally confessed. "Your old friends had been around my grandpa's shop again."

Oh, shit.

"What? What would they want?" Mariku replied quietly, unwilling to drag any of the nosy classmates in the room into the conversation. He was confused, unsure what his old group would want with Yuugi, especially since the game shop didn't make as much money, at least not enough to warrant them to steal anything.

"They heard about you. How you were changing things around for the better, and wanted to know where you were. They cornered me on my way home." Yuugi explained, unable to stop that anger of being dragged into Mariku's problems from slipping into his voice. "They threatened me, told me they'd burn down my grandpa's store if I didn't pass on their message. I didn't even wanna get involved in this again."

"God…" Anzu cursed, putting her face into her hands while Mariku sat there stunned, wondering why they would want to get back into contact with him after over a year of leaving him the fuck alone.

"Apparently, you still owe them money from a year ago. They want it back." Mariku's heart stopped. Everything felt too tight, too claustrophobic, as he tried to think about what money he could possibly owe the gang. Then he recalled the other cuts he took when leaving the gang, deciding that he should have the money for all the work he put in, and now that greed was coming to bite him in the ass. What the fuck could he do?

"Mariku, what have you gotten Yuugi into?" Anzu asked, angered by the truth and the idea of Yuugi dealing with the gang that vandalised and stole from his own home.

"I never thought I'd hear from them again. Fuck, they almost cut me up with a fucking meat cleaver last time we talked to each other." He explained, surprising the others at his table with just how dangerous his interactions with the criminals were. His arm ached from the memory, unwilling to go through that trauma again, and then his mind jumped to Bakura. If the gang knew that he was turning things around, would they go and target his best friend and his family? They could be in danger.

"How much do you owe them?" Yuugi asked, that anger disappearing slightly when he realised how much danger Mariku was in. Curse his good heart, it just made Mariku feel more like shit for dragging the little guy into his shit.

"Erm…" He tried to think, pushing through the fog that was drifting around his brain with the panic slowly setting in. Putting his hands on the sides of his face, he stared down at his work, no longer having the energy to do it with his personal problems instead plaguing his thoughts. "A little over a hundred thousand yen."

"That's a lot to be stealing." Anzu sighed in frustration. Mariku glared at her, finding her input pretty unnecessary at the moment. Still, she hadn't gotten up and left him alone, taking Yuugi with her, so it could have been worse.

"What are you gonna do?" Yuugi asked, clearly concerned for Mariku while the latter thought deeply.

"I'm gonna have to pay them back. At least after that, I can fuck them off for good." He replied, trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to convince the others. Anzu didn't seem fooled, and was likely right for thinking so, considering it was ridiculously hard to shake off your past when it stuck to you like a bad rash. Everything was fucked. Still, he was determined to face his past and tell his old gang to leave him, and his friends, the fuck alone. He was done.

"I'd be careful. They were pretty pissed off when they cornered me." Yuugi pointed out. Mariku nodded solemnly at that, before they all tried to get on with their work once more. Mariku's thoughts were a mess, however, making it almost impossible for him to concentrate, especially without the idea of where he was going to get the money from. He was broke, stuck in his friend's house with no job, and then there was the fact that they were dragging in innocent people into their disagreement.

If anything, he'd have to go and find them as soon as possible. When the bell rang, he'd have to put off just going home and look over every place that they usually hung around, though he'd have to be careful in case they were armed, and pissed. The incident that night with his injuries were still clouded, almost as if his mind was trying to block out the traumatic incident, but with the revelation that they wanted the money he took, bits and pieces started to come back to him. As well as him ending up on Bakura's doorstep, almost bleeding to death, he recalled voices, loud and harsh, as well as the feeling of searing pain in his arm andthe warm blood pouring down onto the floor, his thumb running along the scar that was hidden under the sleeves of his school shirt.

He thought he'd never have to hear from them again. Fool him twice, he guessed.

The rest of the lesson was a blur. As soon as the bell rang, he had packed his stuff in his bag and ran out of the classroom, feeling like he was ready to vomit as he made his way back to the boys' toilets. Students had to jump out of the way to avoid being bowled over, though there were fewer given that they were still packing up from their finished lesson. Thankfully, the toilets were empty save for one younger student, looking around twelve, who was washing his hands the moment that Mariku burst through the door and made a beeline for the nearest stall. Loudly vomiting into the bowl, he grimaced at the taste of bile at the back of his throat, it an almost burning sensation all down his oesophagus. When he was certain he wouldn't vomit again, he pulled away from the toilet bowl, sitting on the floor with his back leaning against the stall wall.

His head hurt badly, like a pressure was building up to the point where his head was ready to burst. The student that was in the toilets at the time glanced over at him, staring down at this teenage boy who was busy upheaving his intestines into the toilet, looking pretty much like death. He ignored the kid, too busy with his own problems as he put his head in his hands, trying to calm down the heavy beating in his skull, the sound of his blood pumping loud in his ears as it felt like he couldn't breathe. With a quick glare at the kid that was still staring at him, he made his point painfully clear, and was finally left alone with the student rushing out to get their lunch.

He wasn't even hungry anymore. Sitting on the cold and uncomfortable floor by himself, he didn't dare move in case he triggered another urge to be sick. He was fucked. Slowly, he curled more into himself, bringing his legs up to his chest and resting his forehead against the palm of his hand, quietly cursing to himself. "Fuck… What am I gonna do?"

No good plan came to his head at that moment, leaving him unsure and scared in the bathroom for what felt like forever. All the other students went on to have their lunch and chatter amongst friends, and knowing that Bakura and Malik would become worried if he didn't hurry up, he finally pushed himself off the floor, finding his legs shaking slightly with the worry and panic wracking every fiber of his being. His friends couldn't know, and his brother especially couldn't find out about this. He'd have to keep quiet until he could fix everything, but there was one thing that was certain, he was not going back into the criminal life when he worked so hard to turn over a new leaf. Bakura wouldn't have been able to accept that his friend was forced back into that lifestyle to pay off a debt, and then there was his family. Ishizu was finally proud of him for something. He couldn't destroy that because of his old asshole friends.

Leaving the boys' toilets, he walked among the other students that were either going to get some lunch, or going back to their classrooms to hang around with friends before the afternoon lessons started. He kept to himself, moving about the groups of students that often blocked up the hallway, forcing everyone to walk at a snail's pace to avoid bumping into each other, but he managed to slip through. No patience for dealing with other people's' bullshit. Stuck in his own thoughts, he said nothing until he reached his own classroom, walking in to find Bakura and Malik talking to each other, though noticing Ryou and Yuugi standing with them looking solemn caused his heart to beat faster, threatening to stop when he saw Malik and Bakura stare at him with that knowing look.

Shit.

They know.


	11. The Lion's Den

It wasn't a misunderstanding. Mariku sat there at his desk, his head resting on his arms that were crossed over the top, staring ahead as Malik just sat in front of him, his own head in his hands with the truth hanging heavily in the air. Bakura was silent. Leaning back in his chair with a thoughtful look on his face, he hadn't peeped a word the whole time that the group were together, and he didn't need to. Mariku could see the panic hidden deep within those brown eyes of his friend, the wariness of their situation and what the tanned student would do with his problem. There was no conversations, no solutions that would get him out of this mess, and he didn't want to admit it, but he was pretty fucked. No job, nothing of his that was worth enough to pay back his debt if he sold it, hell, he was certain that the school would say no even if he tried to get a job, and that was if the gang was willing to wait for him to get the money together.

Some part of him pointed out that he couldn't just say no. Last time didn't end all that well when he said it.

"Over a hundred thousand yen…" Malik mumbled, his voice unclear with his hands covering his face, yet Mariku could hear his disbelief as clear as day. Slowly, his hands dropped to the desk, showing the face that he feared more than anything else in the world. His brother was terrified. "How could you be so stupid?"

"I thought I was owed it at the time. After nearly a year of not hearing from them, it slipped from my mind." He confessed, still unable to bring himself to meet Malik's gaze. Bakura kept quiet, staring off at the window to the side of Mariku's desk with an unreadable expression on his face. The anxiety over what his best friend must have thought about him worsened in his stomach.

"What did you even spend that money on? I never saw you with anything more than five hundred yen at a time." Malik carried on questioning, wanting to get to the bottom of the mysterious money that Mariku stole. That was a good question.

Thinking deep about it, he slowly recalled where the money went, surprised in himself at how quickly over a hundred thousand yen disappeared like that. Lifting his head up from his arms, he propped one of them up, providing somewhere he could rest his chin in. "Just little things. More smokes, a new phone, the rest I lost on this backstreet gambling that the guys used to go to."

"You told me you saved up for that phone!" Malik snapped, angered by his brother's careless behaviour regarding the money. At that point, Mariku shared the feeling, kicking himself for thinking that he could get away stealing from one of the worst gangs in the city, but after time had passed and he didn't hear a thing from them, he got complacent. He thought he got away.

"I don't even know how we can get that sort of money together. All the money my father gives me goes towards looking after Amane and Ryou, then there's rent and other utilities bills that I have to pay." Bakura suddenly explained, turning to Mariku with a saddened frown. "I wanna help, but there's not much I can do."

"You can't even sell the phone you bought with the money, considering you broke it. Again." Mariku glared heavily at Malik's point. It was a good point, maybe he should've thought twice before launching his most expensive possession at the wall, but then again, he wasn't one for thinking something through before doing so. Now, it was coming back to bite him in the ass. They fell silent after that, none of them coming up with an idea on what to do, and so, sitting there in his chair, Mariku kept going through the possible outcomes of this situation. One, he would die when he went to the leader without the money. Two, he would get his ass verbally handed to him by Ishizu when she found out about the money, and then he would die. Three, he would leave the country and start afresh with a new name selling merchandise on the street corner somewhere in Hong Kong.

All in all, not very good options.

Trapped in his own thoughts, he glanced over at Yuugi and his friends sitting in their usual space. Almost as if they knew what he and his brother, as well as best friend, were talking about, Yuugi and Anzu were occasionally glancing over to the trio before talking to each other, likely worried that Malik and Bakura knew. Yuugi and Ryou, somehow finding out what happened, spilled the beans to the others, leaving Mariku alone with them to clean up the mess while returning to their friends. Gossiping fuckers. At least Anzu didn't say anything, rather sitting with her friends when Mariku entered the room. It didn't take long for Ryou to find out, however, and he wondered when the white haired boy figured it out. Everyone else was blissfully unaware of what was going on. Even Atem, who usually knew what was plaguing his brother, was busy chatting away with Jounouchi and Honda, talking about some random crap that Mariku had no interest in knowing.

What he did have interest in was the fact that Anzu, Yuugi and even Ryou were chatting to each other obviously about him, considering that the shortest of the trio got caught in his problems with the gang. Why they targeted Yuugi of all people was a mystery. Unsure their reasons, Mariku's attention was brought back to the others he was currently talking to, listening as Bakura piped up. "What are you gonna do, Mariku?"

"I'm gonna confront the cowardly fucks." He growled, feeling an anger deep within him at the thought of poor Yuugi, the boy with a kind heart who just wanted to move on from the shit between them in the past, being tormented by the same people who used to be Mariku's friends. If they wanted the money so badly, they would have found him one way or another. There was no need to drag innocent people into it.

"You can't be serious?!" Bakura quietly hissed, leaning forward as his eyes ghosted over the scar on Mariku's upper arm, hidden away by the sleeve of his school shirt. "Have you forgotten the last time you tried to tell them to get lost?"

"No, and I don't think I will, but if they think they can fuck over people I care about, and threaten me… they got another thing coming." Bakura backed off, visibly scared by that glint in Mariku's usually narrowed eyes. He felt it, that urge to go out and bash every one of those fucker's faces in, make them realise that messing with him was a mistake, but seeing Bakura look at him like that, like some kind of madman to be afraid of. It stung. It stung bad.

"Don't go in there guns blazing, dude. You'll only end up making things worse." Malik pointed out, taking a sip from his water bottle while Bakura nodded in agreement. Mariku understood where he was coming from, but his brain was pushing all rational thoughts out the window, instead allowing his thirst for fighting to come through, causing him to become restless in his seat. He wanted to walk out of school at that moment, walking along the streets and find where those fucks were hiding, but he wasn't willing to put the hard work he put into school on the line for them.

But that didn't mean he wouldn't wait until school's over to start a fight. So, with a slow nod, he watched as Malik's tensed shoulders relaxed slightly, pleased that his brother wouldn't go out and do something stupid that would end with him injured, or worse. So, trapped in school until that final bell, the trio turned the conversations back to their lessons, trying to keep matters calm while it felt like the storm was raging inside Mariku's mind, his thoughts drifting away as the voices sounded like they were spoken far away from him, even when the other guys were sitting right in front of him. Everyone around them paid no attention, too distracted by their own problems and lives to be even remotely curious about Mariku's, and he couldn't help but constantly look over to where Yuugi and Anzu were sitting.

They had stopped looking at him, rather chatting to the others in their friendship group, trying to hide away what was lurking underneath for just one moment of peace. Unaware of what Mariku was planning. His stomach churned and twisted painfully, desperate for some food even with the anxiety raging away inside him as well, and so he stole some of Malik's lunch, even though it was more vegetarian food that he couldn't stomach. Lentils and rice were alright for a snack, but often than not it wasn't much for Mariku, though he shovelled down the leftovers that Malik saved for him after finishing his lunch. It kept him quiet and out of the conversations that took place between Malik and Bakura, both of them leaving him alone to eat his leftovers before the afternoon lessons started.

"Well, you did this right." Malik pointed out, holding up Bakura's homework in his hands before quickly pointing out. "But you forgot to carry this over to the other side of the equation."

"God, I hate this topic. It's so confusing." Bakura grumbled, fixing the mistake he made on his work with Malik beside him, helping him out with the confusing numbers. Mariku couldn't even remember what the homework was about, or if he actually finished it when he had that spat with Malik over the weekend.

The idea of the counsellor lurked in the back of his mind, having been pushed out of his immediate thoughts with his gang skulking about. The day couldn't get any worse. Or at least, it couldn't of until he spotted Jounouchi's face turning sour and glancing over at him, his mind racing with the idea that he managed to get it out of Yuugi about what happened. Considering Ryou's words started to turn more frantic, his hands trying to keep the hot headed blonde in his seat, Mariku could only think the worst, glancing away in hopes that it was just his brain playing tricks on him. Forcing himself to focus on Malik and Bakura's conversation, he heard footsteps stomping on the ground, a chair smacking against the floor almost like it was tipped over, and someone sounding vaguely like Anzu yelling. "Jounouchi, wait!"

By the time he turned his head again to see what was going on, all he saw were stars when a fist connected with the side of his face, his jaw clenching with agony spreading through the flesh. The force sent him out of his chair, it falling backwards as he rolled out of it, somehow managing to end up on his knees while Malik and Bakura shouted something. Loud ringing in his ears meant he couldn't hear them properly, their voices just few in many as the other students in the class gathered around to see the fight. Many were routing for Jounouchi, much to no one's surprise, but there were a few who wanted them to stop fighting, fearful that the teacher will come in and see what happened. Even Yuugi tried to stop it, grabbing Jounouchi's arm and pulling him away from the downed Mariku. While he tried to get up, he heard Yuugi plead desperately. "Jounouchi, stop! It's not his fault!"

"I don't give a rat's ass what this piece of shit's been doing, but it's his gang that tried to get the jump on you! I'm gonna send them back in such a mess they'll think twice before messing with my friends!" A brutal kick to the stomach left Mariku gasping for air, all the breath in his lungs pushed out with that one action. It ached terribly, but Mariku pushed it down, feeling his anger grip his mind and push away any sensibilities, and soon enough he managed to get to his feet.

Letting out an enraged yell, he tackled Jounouchi, his arms wrapped around the other's abdomen and lifting him off the ground, before slamming Jounouchi's back onto the top of an unfortunate student's desk, nearly causing it to collapse right there with the sheer weight and force in the attack. Stunned momentarily, he was defenseless as Mariku started punching him repeatedly in the face, unable to stop even when everyone behind him begged him loudly. The anger bubbling inside him was too great, and even when his fists started hurting bad from the impact to Jounouchi's face, he didn't let that stop him, grunting deeply with the exertion and the feeling of the skin on his knuckles splitting from the impact. Jounouchi was a good fighter, he'd give him that much, as even with a black eye and split lip, he didn't let Mariku win and managed to grab the front of Mariku's shirt and deliver and devastating headbutt.

Hot blood spurted from his nose when the front of Jonouchi's forehead made contact with the bridge of his nose, dripping down his face and staining his once clean white shirt deep red. The pain was intense, the shock of what happened causing Mariku to stop in his assault and stumble back, clutching his nose in agony as his own blood stained his hands. Malik stood by him, trying to get his brother to remove his hands so that he could see the damage. "Lemme see, Mariku. Come on, move your hands."

He pushed Malik's hands away, too far gone in his rage to even listen to everyone else yelling at him and Jounouchi to stop fighting, rather seeing that Jounouchi was rushing towards him again. Before he knew it, his back was shoved into the window that his desk was situated next to, the feeling of it cracking behind him causing his heart to jump at the thought of being tossed off the first floor of the school building. His attacker didn't relent, delivering blow after blow on Mariku's body, his brain trying to push through the pain to command his arms to do something, though they just laid there uselessly as the tender skin on his back screamed at the rough contact with the window. Agony filled his senses, his vision slightly blurred when Jounouchi threw a harsh punch to his cheek, likely going to cause a bruise later on.

Head snapping to the side, he grunted at the blow, before managing to block another punch being thrown at him and kicking Jounouchi as hard as he could, grinning a bloodied smile when he managed to catch him in the crotch. Jounouchi's face contorted in pain, his legs slightly giving out as he almost collapsed to the floor in agony. Taking the chance, Mariku wrapped his arm around the other's neck, squeezing tight enough that he could see the blonde lashing out, desperate to get the weight off his throat so he could breathe, managing to actually get Mariku in the side, causing him to snarl in pain and bare his teeth. All around him, people watched in horror as he carried on strangling Jounouchi, even Malik trying to break up the fight by dragging Mariku off his opponent. "He's had enough! Let go of him!"

Those words somehow got through the fog surrounding his mind, snapping Mariku out of his berserker state. His grip loosened on Jounouchi's neck, allowing the latter to move back, giving some distance between them both while gasping for breath, his hand rubbing the reddened mark around his neck while glaring heavily at Mariku. Exhausted from the strain of fighting, he stood there, bleeding and panting heavily, looking like he had thought on the back streets of the city rather than was sitting in a classroom in his school. The fact that Jounouchi, and likely the rest of the Friendship Gang, knew about what happened to Yuugi caused a spark of betrayal to hit Mariku, him glancing over at Yuugi as he waited for some sort of explanation of what caused Jounouchi's outburst.

Glancing between the two heavily bleeding boys, Yuugi stood there next to Anzu, his face crestfallen as he apologized quietly. "I'm sorry, Mariku."

"This has gone too far!" Bakura snapped, standing between Mariku and Jounouchi as they both stood there, exhausted from the brief fight. Malik nodded in agreement, moving to Mariku's side and holding onto his arm, trying to get a good look at his wounds before the taller twin pushed the hand away. Jounouchi stood up, panting heavily as Honda came into the fray and held his friend back, both of them glaring at Mariku.

It felt like everyone was turning on him. Students started gossiping amongst themselves, likely not surprised that Mariku was the cause of the fight again, and it only went from bad to worse when he spotted Mr Nakamura storming into the classroom, having heard the commotion from the hall. Eyes narrowed when he spotted Mariku as one of the culprits, keeping his gaze fixed on him and Jounouchi as he loudly demanded. "What is going on in here?!"

"Sir, it's… shit." Bakura swore, unsure what to say when he realised that both Mariku and Jounouchi were in deep waters at that moment. Rather than say anything to defend himself, Mariku just stood there, staring at the elderly teacher with his nose still dripping with blood and his body still aching from the relentless blows it suffered a few moments ago. The students that were spectating moved away, unwilling to get involved with in the mess as they instead walked back to their desks, still whispering amongst themselves while only the Friendship Gang, Malik and Bakura were left there.

"Save it, Bakura. Jounouchi, Mariku, follow me. We're gonna be looking into this with the principle." Oh _shit._ Mariku had no excuses, nothing to say that would get him off with the teachers, and so with fallen shoulders, he started walking away from a protesting Malik while Jounouchi followed suit. Nakamura didn't even wait for them to reach him, instead leading them out of the room and down the hallway towards the principal's office. Those that were walking down the hallway to get to their classrooms just at the end of lunch period were shocked to see the state that Mariku and Jounouchi was in, and honestly, he wished that he could go home and clean up, feeling that going to find his old gang looking like a piece of roadkill would only make himself look like an easy target for another beatdown.

Thanks, Jounouchi.

"I actually thought you would try and stay out of trouble, Mariku." Nakamura addressed, turning his head slightly to look at the teen walking behind him. "After the good week you've had, and now you've done this. Frankly, I'm disappointed."

Mariku said nothing. When he would be brought to the principal's office, he'd definitely tell them how it was, and even though he knew Jounouchi had good intentions defending his friend, he unfortunately took them out on the wrong person. Mariku was willing to accept that he stole from his gang, and that it was a pretty stupid move, but he didn't know they'd go after Yuugi, especially after a year of peace and quiet. Thankfully, it felt like his nose had stopped bleeding so much, though the same relief couldn't be felt for his poor school shirt, which was drenched in blood to the point where he doubted he'd ever get the stains out again. Everyone avoided them like the plague, making a path straight through them for him, Jounouchi and Nakamura to make their way down.

The whispers did nothing for his mood, causing Mariku to send glares at everyone that he could hear saying shit about him. Given the state he was in, his looks did more than just scare them off, the sight of a heavily bloodied and beaten up guy who could tower over most of the students there did wonders on clearing the hallways. However, he didn't feel like smirking in his smugness like he would used to, especially when they reached the hallway that lead down towards the principal's office. Following after Nakamura, he could hear Principal Kimura's booming voice carrying on down the hallway, scolding another poor soul over something that Mariku couldn't make out. Did he spend most of his working hours yelling at teenagers or what?

The shouting carried on until Nakamura knocked on the door, silently ordering Jounouchi and Mariku to stand up against the wall opposite the door until they would be able to go into the office. Standing there, he watched as the door slowly creaked open, that familiar gruff face appearing in the small space between door and frame, and immediately, without Nakamura having to say anything, he spotted the banged up Jounouchi and Mariku and growled deeply. "Wait there."

With that, he shut his door again and scolded the student in a calmer tone, trying to drive the point home before he would let them go. Mariku spared a quick glance at Jounouchi, wincing internally at how much damage he did to the blonde. Similar to him, his blows had caused a nosebleed and a split lip, his left eye swollen shut and the flesh around his neck a deep red colour. He probably felt like shit just as Mariku did. Keeping to himself, he watched as the door opened again, a student from their own year group strolling out like they weren't just yelled at by the hulk of a man that they called their principal. Kimura stood behind him, glaring at the two teenage boys while they stood there silently. Even Nakamura was quiet when he saw the anger still burning behind those eyes belonging to Kimura.

With his voice as cold as ice, he moved to the side, gesturing for the boys to enter his office while ordering them. " _Get inside."_

Going back into the stuffy, cramped office that he despised so much, Mariku already made himself comfy in one of the chairs that were in front of the desk, noticing that Jounouchi had copied his actions and sat down in the chair beside him, wiping some of the blood away from his split lip while Nakamura positioned himself beside them with a scowl on his face. Kimura was the last to go back into the office, closing the door behind him to give the two privacy during their talk. Stiff and sore, Mariku get sitting upwards, unwilling to touch his back against anything at the moment with his skin still blistering and sore from the weekend. The heavy footsteps echoed from behind him, though he kept his eyes facing forwards until he saw Kimura making his way to his desk, sitting down in that half destroyed leather chair before taking one look at them and asking in a gruff tone. "What has gone on between you two?"

"I came into my class just before and found them like this, sir." Nakamura explained, turning his gaze to the principal as he added. "I haven't gotten anything out of them, though."

"Mariku, I thought I told you that you were on thin ice, and yet here you are again in my office not three days later."

"Jounouchi came over to my desk and punched me in the face, before trying to start a fight with me. Literally everyone saw it." Mariku pointed out, unwilling to take the rap for something that Jounouchi started. Obviously, that didn't put him in the blonde's good books as he glared heavily at Mariku, though Kimura raised an eyebrow at the revelation and turned to Jounouchi, patient for him to plead his case.

"Jounouchi, is this true? Before you answer, remember that I can go and ask the students that were there to who started the fight, and the punishment will be worse if I find out you've been lying." He warned, trying to get the message across for Jounouchi to speak the truth rather than push his luck.

Growling under his breath, Jounouchi glanced down at the floor with his arms crossed over his chest, before nodding slowly. "Yeah, I did."

"And, you're not gonna say why?" Kimura pushed, sitting there waiting for an explanation over what happened. Mariku sat there, watching Jounouchi sitting under the gaze of their principal, leaving him out likely to be given a lighter punishment, and yet he felt anything other than relief. Jounouchi was a bastard, a hot head, and he despised being within ten feet of the blonde, but even Mariku wouldn't deny that he started the fight for his own right reasons, and so he decided to do something that he never thought he'd do in his lifetime.

"I caused some shit outta school." Mariku blurted out, catching everyone by surprise as he sat there, noticing everyone turning around staring at him with stunned expressions before he carried on with his explanation. "I accidentally got Yuugi involved with it. Jounouchi was just trying to protect his friend."

"I have to know this trouble outside of school, Mariku. Don't forget that you're representing this school both inside and outside. Any delinquent behaviour reflects badly on me and the school, especially if it involves students like Yuugi Mutou." He elaborated, clasping his large hands together and leaning into them, covering the lower part of his face while looking like he was thinking deeply about something.

"It was just some petty shit. It's all been taken care of." Mariku lied. A part of him wanted to come out with it, tell the teacher and principal everything and hope that he would get help, or at least that his friends and family were safe from the problems he brought upon them. But when he opened his mouth to reply, the lies came out unwillingly, and it was too late for him to go back on his word. Whatever happened, he'd have to sort it out for himself.

Thankfully, Kimura seemed to have settled for that, nodding slowly before turning back to Jounouchi. "Jounouchi, I can respect someone who thinks they're doing what's best for other people, and seeing how far you came from the boy you were before says a lot about you, but I cannot condone violence in my school. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yessir."

"As for you, Mariku, I am pleased that you decided to take some responsibility for this incident, and I certainly hope that you have sorted the problem that sparked this whole fight." Mariku nodded quietly at that, listening as Principal Kimura coughed quietly and sorted some papers, putting them to the side of his clearly messy desk before continuing in a calmed tone. "Both of you will report to the nurse's office, and then you will be put in isolation for the rest of the day. Detention will be given to the both of you for to weeks starting today as well. Mariku, I will be contacting your sister as well."

So much for trying to convince Ishizu that he changed. Both of the teenagers nodded and replied with a 'yessir', before Kimura gestured for them to leave his office and make their way to the nurse's office. Nakamura followed after them, muttering his thanks to Kimura for sorting the situation before closing the door behind him. Standing in the hallway, Mariku and Jounouchi listened as Nakamura explained to them. "I'll escort you both to the nurse's office, and then we'll report to the isolation centre for the rest of your lessons today."

Mariku said nothing. He wasn't even really paying attention, too distracted by his own thoughts as they walked towards the nurse's office. Everyone was either in their lessons or hiding somewhere, leaving the school hallways empty save for that one occasional soul that was making their way to or from the bathroom. No one in the trio said anything, considering everything that needed to be said was already put out into the open during that tense meeting with the principal just then. Jounouchi didn't seem as angry as before, though still ticked off with the isolation and detention that he got for starting to fight, but there was something different when he glanced over at Mariku. There was still anger and distaste for the other boy, but it wasn't as strong.

Who knows, maybe sticking up for him had pushed their hatred of each other past that point. Mariku didn't know, but he could at least wait and find out what would happen.

Eventually, they reached the nurse's office, for the second time that day in Mariku's case, his fingers brushing against the plaster that was covering up the cut that he gave himself in Chemistry. The nurse was clearly a busy woman, considering it looked like she hadn't moved from that chair in front of the computer since Mariku was last in there, at least, until she noticed the beaten and bloodied students standing in front of her. The youthful face fallen in shock, she got up from her desk and walked swiftly to the space in front of them, looking over the injuries as she asked in a surprised tone. "My god, what have you two been doing?!"

"They had gotten into a fight, Ms Zhao. Principal Kimura wants them to check here and then go to the isolation centre for the rest of the day." Nakamura explained, passing the boys over to the nurse as he added. "My class will be no doubt waiting for me, so please, be quick with these two troublemakers."

Zhao said nothing, instead guiding the boys to sit down in the chairs that the injured students usually sit in, before wasting no time in gathering up the medical supplies she needs to treat their injuries. With Mariku looking like someone nearly drained him of all his blood, she gave him an ice pack and pressed it against his nose, showing him what to do before moving on to helping Jounouchi with his injuries. The coldness radiating from the ice pack numbed the throbbing pain coming from his nose, and thankfully the bleeding had stopped a short time ago, though he was still unsure if Jounouchi had managed to break his nose or not yet. With the ice pack on it, most of the pain had been numbed, and it didn't feel crooked or bent out of shape when he pressed his fingers against the bridge.

"You two are gonna end up seriously hurting each other one day." Zhao scolded, patching up the cut lip that Jounouchi got before standing up, staring down at them with her hands on her hips and a deep frown on her face. "Violence never solves the differences between you two, nor will it solve any of your problems! Why is it that you two are the most common students out of this entire school that wind up in my office?"

Mariku kept quiet, leaning forward with the ice pack pressed firmly against his nose. Jounouchi followed suit, not saying anything while he was holding another ice pack given to him against his swollen eye, though the silence seemingly didn't calm any of the annoyance and frustration in the nurse as she shook her head in exasperation, some of the hair falling out of her prim and proper ponytail and sticking out in front of her forehead. Without another word, she disappeared into a closet that was situated just beside the door leading out into the hallway, leaving them alone temporarily with Nakamura. No one uttered a word between them, keeping quiet until Zhao came back with a couple of clean school shirts, passing them to the boys while explaining. "You can't walk around school with these shirts so you may have these ones instead."

Accepting a clean shirt given to him, he started unbuttoning his messed up one, carrying on getting changed while Nurse Zhao turned and started writing up more incident forms, likely to keep in file and discuss with her superiors in the school, though mariku couldn't see what she was writing from where he stood. Slipping the new shirt on, he enjoyed the feeling of new, clean, clothes sliding across his skin, though he had to pause when he heard Zhao ask softly. "Mariku, what happened to your back?"

He froze, realising that his back was on show for everyone to see while he was getting changed. Even Jounouchi was staring at it, surprised to see the deep red and blistering flesh of the other teen's back, looking like someone poured a pot of boiling water over him. Wasn't that far from the truth when he thought about it. His brain wracked itself, trying to think of a reasonable excuse, and finally he replied with a grunt. "Accidentally burnt myself."

"It looks pretty bad. I hope you went to the hospital with this." Zhao pointed out, approaching Mariku to check his back when he took a step away, keeping his back to the wall while glaring heavily at everyone near him, unwilling to let anyone see the tender flesh, let alone touch it. She noticed this, stopping in her tracks with her hand lowering back down to her side, respecting Mariku's privacy and nodding slowly, moving back to her reports while giving Mariku to space he needed to get changed.

Grateful that she didn't push it more than it needed to be, he pulled his arm through the other sleeve, managing to cover up the bandages that were wrapped around his back before he started to button it up. A few buttons left undone at the top to give his neck some breathing room, he turned around to see that Jounouchi had finished changing himself, both of them standing there, refusing to even look at one another, while Zhao finished writing up something. Brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, she turned to the boys and explained calmly, the stern expression on her face almost completely disappeared and instead replaced with concern. "You can keep those ice bags with you for the rest of your lessons today, at least until the swelling had gone down."

They nodded, keeping quiet as she turned to Nakamura, who had been standing at the doorway that whole time, and gestured to the students in her office. "You're free to take them now."

"Thank you, Ms Zhao." He replied gratefully, earning a respectful bow from the nurse before he turned to Mariku and Jounouchi. "Come on."

Obeying his short command, they followed after the teacher as they were lead out of the office, walking back down the hallway past Kimura's office again. Surprisingly, there was no harsh shouting coming from the room as they walked by, for once in Mariku's short time in being in this school. The isolation centre wasn't that far from the other rooms near the front entrance of the school, and wasn't even really a centre in that word, more like just a room where students were forced to sit in these cubbies and do work without being able to talk to anyone. Mariku had been in three countless times, and knew the people on the front desk who often ran the centre as well. They were alright, willing to let you just get on with your work and don't really give a judging attitude to you when you find yourself there. It was a peaceful and quiet place to work, if only the fact that you were doing worksheets given to you by your teachers didn't help much with learning.

Nakamura opened the door leading into the centre, walking in first with Jounouchi and Mariku trailing in after him, letting the door close behind them while their teacher quietly explained their presence to the young looking man on desk duty in there. Other students were being forced to sit in the room as well, some looking as young as Mariku did when he first came to this school, and he wondered if they'd end up like him when they got older. Stuck in this situation, with people out for his blood and his grades slipping with each day passing by. If he ever had a chance to say something to his younger self, it'd be a swift slap to the head and tell him to knock that shit off before he fucked himself up good style.

Finally, Nakamura seemingly finished talking to the staff member in charge of the isolation centre and turned back around to the newcomers, muttering to them in a low tone to avoid disturbing the other students that were working. "You'll both stay in here for the rest of the afternoon, and then you'll be taken to detention after school ends. I'll be back with some work for the both of you."

With that, he left the boys alone in the room, closing the door softly behind him. Mariku sighed to himself, annoyed with his situation as the staff member sitting at the desk ordered them in a dull tone. "Sit in your usual seat, Mariku. Nakamura will be back shortly."

No biting comment or swear word was thrown from his lips that time. Rather, Mariku sucked it up and took a seat at one of the empty cubbies, pulling the chair back harshly so that the legs scraped against the floor and made a grating screeching sound that caused everyone to glare at him for a few moments. Glaring at them back, he groaned as he sat down, staring at the small desk shoved in the cubby and trying to convince himself not to slam his face into it, rather settling on leaning against his arms as he crossed them over the smooth wooden top of the desk. There was a small pencil holder to the left of him, holding a few pens as well as a pencil and a sharpener, there in case any student needed them during their time there. Mariku had no need of them, so he decided to waste some time by balancing the pens and pencil on the top of the holder, laying them across the hole and stacking each other on top of each other.

It was so _boring._

His face ached still, including his nose, but at least he had the ice pack given to him by Nurse Zhao, even if it was starting to warm up from the heat of his hand and the room he was in, given that the summer sun was beaming in straight through the uncovered windows. It was almost unbearable, especially since the window was already open and yet hardly any breeze was there that day to make a difference. With nothing to do, he ignored his pencil construction and glanced around the room, leaning back on his chair when he noticed that Jounouchi was situated on the other side of the room, and funnily enough, he too was leaning against his chair, having nothing to do until Nakamura returned with the work. From the desk over in the corner of the room, he heard the young man call out without even looking up from his work. "Mariku, stop swinging on your chair and turn around. You too, Jounouchi."

The both of them stopped leaning at the same time, sitting there with all four legs of their chair on the floor. Returning back to shoving his head into his crossed arms, Mariku listened to the ticking of the clock that was hanging high up on the wall, finding it almost driving him insane as he was unable to do anything to stem the boredom. _Tick, tick, tick._ He was ready to throw something heavy at it, when eventually, Nakamura returned with the work in his hands. Jounouchi grabbed his attention first, the teacher spending a few minutes explaining the topic that they were doing so that the teen boy understood. With Jounouchi working away on the work given to him, Mariku sat up slowly when he noticed Nakamura standing beside him, staring down at the work that was placed in front of him, as well as a piece of paper with the teacher's handwriting on it.

Picking it up, he read it over as Nakamura explained. "I wrote down help so that you'd have some help here. I am still free to tutor you during your detention after school."

"Yeah, thanks." Mariku replied gratefully, pleased that he had something to do besides staring at the wall while that annoying clock carried on ticking in the quiet room. Nakamura looked somewhat happy that he accepted his help, nodding slowly before leaving the boys alone to get some work done. With the help sheet in hand, Mariku had an easier time in doing to questions provided than he would have if he was left to do it by himself, with nothing more than his memory as his help sheet.

Given the silence of the room that he was in, with only the scribbling of pens and the ticking of the clock, as well as the occasional cough or frustrated sigh from a student in one of the other cubbies, it was easier for Mariku to work rather than stuck in the classroom, listening to Honda and Jounouchi chatting away to each other and ignoring what Nakamura was teaching them. Being stuck behind those two was starting to grate on him more than usual. Still, he recalled the conversations he accidentally eavesdropped on after getting his cut treated at the nurse's office, recalling how distraught and tired Jounouchi sounded compared to the usual riled up hot head that had no filter on what he would say. Shizuka caught his interest, wondering about their story considering she was Jounouchi's sister, and yet she was all the way in America, while Jounouchi was stuck in Japan.

Mariku wouldn't lie, he was curious to find out more, and yet something told him to stop while he was ahead, especially if Jounouchi found out that he had heard everything that he said in private to his friends. For now, it would be for the best to let sleeping dogs lie, and so Mariku carried on with his work. Occasionally, he'd glance over his shoulder, noticing that Jounouchi was actually working away, seemingly getting work done without his friends there for him to talk to. Quickly, he'd turn back around just in time as the staff member watching them all lifted his head, glancing around the room to make sure the students were behaving themselves before returning to his work. Even if the silence was a welcome change to study, he detested being left alone with nothing more than his thoughts keeping him company, where his problems could intrude his thoughts and distract him away from his work.

Being trapped in an uncomfortably hot and sweltering room for two hours did nothing to improve his mood. When the final bell rang for the end of school day, the students that were in for another hour of detention were corralled out of the centre by the deputy head of the school and guided towards the library for an entire hour of studying, or simply sitting there until you were allowed to leave. Other students helped with the cleaning up after the school day, brushing down the hallways and classrooms, emptying the trash cans, that sort of thing, though Mariku himself was usually long gone before helping out with that. While he was walking, stuck in his own thoughts, he was surprised to hear Jounouchi's voice from beside him. "Hey, I wanna talk to you."

Turning his head, he had to hide the fact that he nearly jumped out of his skin when startled by the sudden voice, instead grumbling in a low tone. "What'd you want?"

"I… I just wanna say thanks, for what you did back in Kimura's office. Don't take this outta context, we ain't gonna suddenly become pals or nothing, but I gotta admit that I woulda been in hot water if you didn't step in like that." Jounouchi explained, walking by Mariku's side with a frown on his face, a few of his fingers gently prodding the blackened skin around his eye when he added roughly. "Yuugi didn't tell me about what happened. At least, not willingly. I didn't even know what to do when I found out, besides wanting to knock your block off."

"Well, you almost succeeded in that." Mariku shot back sarcastically, pangs of pain running through his body almost proving the point. He'd be covered head to toe in bruises tomorrow.

Surprisingly, that got a short laugh from Jounouchi, who agreed with a smirk. "You ain't a bad fighter yourself. But I gotta know, these bastards who ganged up on Yuugi… What're you gonna do about them? What's the deal anyway?"

"I _was_ gonna find them after school, but I guess I'm gonna have to wait for that now, aren't I?" He couldn't help but let that hiss lace his words, showing Jounouchi just how annoyed he was that the fight had left him stuck in school while his friends and family had already gone home. No doubt Bakura had left with Amane and Ryou, and with what happened to Yuugi, he couldn't help but worry that his old gang would turn their sights on them. It made his stomach twist painfully.

"I ain't gonna apologise for what I did, but I might be interested in getting some payback for what those fuckers did to Yuugs." Having someone there watching his back did give Mariku some comfort in the inevitable confrontation, but he didn't want to think what Yuugi or the others would think of him if he dragged Jounouchi into this mess. If he got hurt, or worse, while trying to protect the others from these bastards, Mariku wouldn't be able to look the others in the eye, not without blaming himself for it.

"You wanna help?" He snapped, looking away from the other teen while continuing with a scowl. "Stay outta my business and look after your friends. I know these guys, and they ain't the sort to fight fair and square. I barely got away from them last time."

"I ain't no pushover, and when your business drags my friends into it, then it's my business too!" Jounouchi growled, though Mariku wouldn't let himself be pushed over by him. When it seemed that Mariku wasn't intimidated, Jounouchi backed off slightly, and gave him one last glare before walking into the library, the group having reached it during their conversation.

Inside, it was enormous with rows and rows of books, some stacked in a way that it hid away desks and chairs for those that wanted to read away from the main groups that would sit at the tables situated in the middle of the room. The librarian sat behind her desk, watching the students piling into the library over a pair of smart glasses, looking like a stereotypical librarian that Mariku saw in movies and comics. He ignored her, rather settling down at a desk on his own, finding that no one wanted to sit next to him as they all went off and sat where they wanted, most of them choosing the tables in the middle of the room. With the work that he was given having been completed, he waited for Nakamura to appear for their hour of tutoring before he could finally leave the school.

Much to his relief, it wasn't long before Nakamura had appeared, books and papers in hand, and managed to stop Mariku hiding away in one of the more hidden tables in the library, making a beeline straight for him. Plopping his possessions on the table, he broke the silence between them with a quick explanation. "We'll start with what you missed today, and then see if there's anything else you feel you need more help with."

So basically everything. Mariku accepted the help nonetheless, listening carefully as Nakamura sat down beside him, almost comically small compared to the tall student next to him, but still nonetheless kept on explaining the topic of the lesson. Pythagoras Theorum. Mariku would be the happiest boy on Earth when they moved on from this subject, feeling like a chimp compared to how easily and matter of fact Nakamura explained the shit to him. At least he was able to get some of the more easier explanations, like the hypotenuse and such, and when he started going backwards in the equation to determine the length of one of the shorter sides, Mariku was able to get it after some time to think. But then there was the problem solving, and he found himself lost again.

Threatening to snap his pencil in half in frustration, he threw himself back into his chair, staring up at the ceiling while growling in a low tone. "This is impossible!"

"You'll be able to get it if you keep practicing." Nakamura pointed out, allowing the brief outburst considering that Mariku was at least trying his best. However, he very much doubted his teacher's words, thinking of himself as someone too stupid to understand what he saw Malik and his friends get, sitting there with the anger slowly disappearing away, instead disappointment seeping in instead.

"What's the point? I'm never gonna be able to get it like Malik and the others do."

"That's your problem, Mariku. You have to stop comparing yourself to your brother and your friends." Nakamura sighed, sitting there quietly while Mariku slowly pulled himself up from his slouched position, staring at the old man with curiosity in those lavender eyes of his. With his student's attention, Nakamura adjusted his thick lensed glasses and carried on. "You're an individual, you have your own strengths and weaknesses, but with you being in my class these past few years, I have come to see that you only ever focus on your weaknesses. Now, you may not get the more complex questions in Maths, but that doesn't mean you're an idiot."

"Then what am I then? I ain't good at Maths, or Chemistry, or Physics. I'm just an idiot."

"Stop calling yourself an idiot. You may not be good at these academic lessons, but you're brilliant at art and PE, you're creative, you're capable in your Languages classes, and I've heard how Mrs Yamamoto sings your praises. You know two languages, Mariku, not many others can say that." Mariku sat there, stunned with how Nakamura wasn't tearing him apart or chastising him like he usually did. Honestly, this Nakamura was way better than the old grump who sat at his desk and constantly shouted at Mariku to pay attention. Looking down at the work, the older man added in a gentle tone. "Let's carry on, I'll help you until you get it, alright?"

So, with newfound determination, Mariku tried the questions again, trying to keep Nakamura's words in his head. It gave him a strange sense of relief when he was told that he wasn't Malik, and for some reason, he had never felt that way before. They were twins, and that sparked a whole identity crisis for Mariku and Malik as they tried to differentiate themselves from each other, through looks and personalities. But then Malik started to show an early brightness when they were younger, and Mariku never heard the end of it.

_Be more like Malik, look at your brother's report, why aren't you getting good grades like Malik?_

So, Mariku pushed and pushed and pushed, showing everyone in the world that he wasn't a fuck up, but because he was different and difficult to control, everyone just brushed him off as a delinquent and a lost cause. Not like Ishizu, not like Malik. Hearing someone who actually had good things to say about him sparked a sense of accomplishment inside of him. He was his own person, and he finally had the chance to prove that he wasn't a fuck up because he couldn't get the same grades as his twin.

Eventually, detention was over, and the students that were kept in the library were finally allowed to go home. With everyone packing up and rushing out as fast as they could, Mariku stood up with Nakamura grabbing the papers, considering he had forgotten his bag in the classroom after being dragged off to the nurse's office. Thankfully, he gotten a text from Bakura saying that he had grabbed it for the tanned boy before leaving for their last lesson, and had taken it home for them. However, the small sentence at the bottom of the text worried him, the almost audible pleading tone in it making him falter in his task of finding his old gang. _Don't do anything stupid. Please, just come back to mine._

He wanted to, but at the same time he wanted to sort this mess out once and for all, and so ignoring the text, he thanked Nakamura for his tutoring and arranged for another session next Monday, once again in the library given that he would be stuck there for the next two weeks. At least it was just detention, considering he was in a period where he could be expelled. Ishizu likely would have be contacted by Kimura already. The thought of having another talk with her after promising that he would change, and the nice family dinner they had for Rishid's birthday, it didn't do much for his confidence in repairing their relationship. Still, he had other things to think about, quickly making his way through the hallways towards the front entrance of the school.

Managing to get outside as quick as he could, he enjoyed the fresh air and cool breeze after being stuck in that boiling room for hours. The grounds were empty save for those doing their afterschool activities, voices shouting from the courts that they would play tennis and such on reaching Mariku's ears as he made his way down the path leading to the gate leading off school property. It would take a while to search through the numerous hang out points that he could think of. Still, better start then rather than never, and walking along the street away from his school, he started with the back alleyways that were like a maze to those who didn't often venture in there. They were dark, terrifying to the nervous citizens who avoided them like the plague, but Mariku showed none of that fear as he walked through them, keeping to himself as he passed the more unsavoury characters that lurked there.

They were content to let things be, allowing Mariku to walk past. He didn't know if it was because they knew he wasn't one to be trifled with, or because the state of his face and yet him still standing warned them off, showing that he wouldn't go down without a fight. However, his efforts were for nought when he proved unsuccessful in finding the gang. So, he left and tried his luck near the docks, wondering if they had holed themselves in one of the abandoned warehouses there. Stereotypical gang in a stereotypical warehouse, how the police hadn't clocked on for this long was a mystery to Mariku, who walked quickly towards the docks on the outskirts of the city. The rolling of the waves were a soothing sound to his ears, the smell of salt water and some rank stench of the docks wafting into his nose, causing him to wrinkle it up slightly as he walked along the path leading to the numerous warehouses that laid scattered around the docks.

His phone had gone crazy with text messages while he was searching, most of them from Malik and Bakura, trying to figure out where he was in fear that he had kept true to his word and went out to find the same people that threatened Yuugi. After a quick glance at the new few, he shoved his phone in his pocket again and paused in front of an abandoned warehouse that he recalled having visited before. Many of the windows were smashed in or boarded up in hopes that it would stop people from getting in, but that didn't stop his old gang from making it a sort of hideout for them, though they never stayed in one place for too long. That would just attract attention. The door leading into it was to the side of the building, the knocks ringing in Mariku's ears as he banged on the door roughly, keeping the scowl on his face as he waited patiently. Shadows moved about in the windows that weren't blocked up, likely peeking out to see who it was that was trying to come in, and after waiting for a few minutes, Mariku stood there as the door opened up slowly.

While he may had seemed calm on the outside, his heart was pounding away in his chest when he saw that familiar face glaring down at him. One of the eldest guys, with a chiseled face and jaw full of stubble that could scratch your skin to fuck, he was built like a brick shithouse and stood as tall as Rishid did, towering over Mariku while the latter stood there. With a sarcastic drawl, he greeted the door guard. "Evening, Touma."

"Mariku." He replied harshly, his voice a deep rumble resonating from his chest. "I never thought I'd see your mug around here again. What'd you want?"

"Don't act dumb, it's not a good look for you. You know why I'm here." Mariku snapped, his hands on his hips as he demanded answers. "I wanna talk to Reo."

Touma just glared down at him, thinking about whether or not he should let Mariku in. Left there to wait, Mariku didn't falter in his stares, keeping eye contact with the hulk of a man until finally, he was granted access into the warehouse, Touma moving to the side while grunting. "Get your ass in here."

Walking in, he had to stop the fear from showing when the door closed behind him, essentially cutting off any escape route that he had. Touma kepot behind him, pushing Mariku through the huge space that the gang had made home in, boxes of stuff that they smuggled through the city sitting around, disguised as old boxes of things that the sailors would take with them on the ships, including barrels of fish from the catches being brought back to port. Except Mariku knew better. Most of the members that he knew were still there, sitting around and enjoying a break after working to getting their illegal and stolen goods sent through to their fences to be sold in the backstreet, or even sold at pawn shops in case of stolen possessions. It was really an elaborate system, and a system that paid well given how much Mariku earned during his short few years running with them.

There were no cheers or welcomes for him this time. Rather, he was greeted with glares and threatening shows of weapons that ranged from blades to actual guns, though Mariku kept his eyes fixed on the office at the end of the warehouse. That was where Reo had made himself home in. The few guards left standing at the door weren't surprised to see Mariku there, taking one look at Touma behind him before letting the two into the office, all without saying a single word. It was unnerving. Finally, he stopped in the office, staring at the guy who brought him into this mess. Hair a wild mess of red locks and eyes narrowed and dark in colour, his pupils barely visible in them, Reo was an intimidating looking man with his entire left arm covered in elaborate tattoos, the muscles under the skin taut and visible to the eye, showing off just how strong the leader was. He wasn't on Touma's level, but he could easily be a match for Mariku.

Glancing up from his new desk, Reo took a long drag on a cigarette that he was smoking, blowing it in Mariku's direction before pointing out in an amused tone. "Holy fuck, you look like shit, dude."

"I ain't here for fucking beauty tips." Mariku snarled, moving closer to the desk before Touma grabbed him on his shoulder, not having to use much of his strength to force Mariku to remain in his place during the meeting. Unable to punch his lights out, he settled on getting straight to the point. "The fuck do you think you're doing going after Yuugi again?"

"Oh, that's why you're here." Another drag of his cigarette. Holding it in his lungs for a few moments, he let it out slowly through his nostrils, similar to smoke billowing out of a dragon's nostrils before it let out its fire. "It's just business. There ain't nothing that goes through this city without my knowing, and a lil' birdy told me that you were trying to be a better person. How very noble."

The last sentence was spoken in a mocking tone, setting Mariku's teeth on edge before Reo carried on. "Either way, he was only a messenger, but worse will happen if I don't get my money back. I've been complacent for far too long."

"If you wanted the bastard money, why wait until now? Why didn't you try a year ago when I first stole it?" Mariku demanded to know, unable to think of why Reo was playing him like this.

"I did, don't you remember?" That made Mariku pause. He tried to think, wondering if the incident where he ended up on Bakura's doorstep was connected to this. When he didn't answer, Reo's eyebrows raised in surprise, and he pulled the cigarette away from his mouth as he chuckled. "You don't remember. Figures. Alright then, I guess I'll be storyteller. Sit down."

Rather than have Touma push him in the chair, and he knew the huge guy would, Mariku sat down in the chair slowly, listening as Reo extinguished the cigarette in the ashtray left on the desk. The smoke still rolled from the stub, with Mariku staring at it as Reo cleared his throat. "You owe me around a hundred thousand yen. Why you stole it, I don't give a shit, frankly, but I wanted it back. So, we cornered you and tried the whole 'good cop, bad cop' shit on you, and it went as well as you could expect. I gotta hand it to you, Mariku, you're one stubborn bastard, but that's why I like you. You get shit done."

Mariku said nothing, not even with the little compliment he got at the end of Reo's smug explanations. He paid no attention to that, rather carrying on with the story as he gestured with his hands, his elbows propped up on the table and his body leaned forward with a relaxed air about him. "You can't be mad with me, my man. It was all business, teaching people lessons, all that shit. You broke the rules, you fucked me over, so, by the laws of the jungle, an eye for an eye. Well, a hundred thousand yen for you to keep your arm."

Oh, that's why he attacked Mariku with the meat cleaver. The more Reo explained, the more he could recall the incident with clarity, and finally some of that anger melted away and showed the nervousness underneath. He tried to hide it away, though Reo was great at picking up subtle clues, and spotted it immediately as he leaned back into his leather chair, swinging it side to side as he shrugged. "It's all the past. Truth is, Mariku, after that incident I got into some shit and I had to serve time. While I was gone, it would be safer for my guys if they ceased operations and hide out, otherwise I'd have risked the police finding my whole operations. Can't have that now, can we?"

"I guess not." Mariku replied bluntly.

"Smart boy. Now, me and you, Mariku, we were close, weren't we? Okay, I thought of you as almost like my brother, I took you under my wing… and then you fucked me over. That hurt, man. That hurt real bad." As if to put the point across, he rested his hand over his chest, right over his heart. Dramatic asshole. Mariku wasn't stirred much, rather sitting there with a blank expression on his face while Reo sniffed, grabbing another cigarette from one of the drawers in his desk, offering the pack out to him. "You still smoke?"

It took all of his willpower not to go back on having quit smoking, but boy, with dealing with his old gang and school, he was hard pressed for one. Shaking his head, he denied the offer. "No, I quit."

"Good, it's bad for you." Reo pointed out, grabbing the end of one between his teeth and pulling it out of the pack, before tossing it back into the drawer. Mariku must had forgotten just how casual Reo really was. Somehow, his mind had turned this into some savage, psychotic asshole who'd eat babies if he had the chance. Still, he couldn't let his guard down.

"There's no reason to drag my friends or my family into this. The debt is between you and me." He explained through gritted teeth.

Reo paused, the still lit lighter in his hand before he turned it off, inhaling the smoke from his new cigarette as he nodded. "True, but think of it this way. You don't play along, and they're collateral."

"They're people! They had nothing to do with this, and you're just gonna threaten them like a fucking coward!" Mariku didn't see the blow coming. His lip stung terribly as Reo shot up instantly, faster than anyone Mariku had ever seen move before, and struck him across the face with the ring on his finger splitting the skin of his lip. Slowly, he looked back at Reo, blood dripping down from the wound on his face while the older man stared down at him with narrowed eyes, the dark look causing Mariku to freeze in spot at how different Reo turned.

"Let's get one thing straight." He muttered in a low tone, lifting Mariku's chin up with his fingers curling underneath it, making sure that the teen couldn't look away. "Don't call me a fucking coward again, or what'll happen to you will be a lot worse than a smack."

Letting him go, Reo moved away, grabbing something from inside his desk as Mariku wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, staring down at the blood smeared across his bronzed skin with worry flashing across his eyes. The worst wasn't yet to come, as he quickly found out when Reo pulled out a taser from the confines of his desk, sitting down on top of it in front of Mariku while waving the weapon painfully close to the other's face. Leaning away from it, he stared down at it with panicked eyes, unable to stop the fear from seeping in anymore as Reo chuckled. "Is that fear in your eyes? I gotta admit, I ain't ever thought I'd see you like this, Mariku. That said, I'm done playing nice. You're gonna get me my money, or I'm gonna introduce you to my lil' accomplice here."

As if to drive home the point, he turned it one, causing the taser to cackle with electricity sparking between the two metal tongs. Mariku flinched at the sudden noise, unwilling to get struck by that weapon, and even though it crushed him to do so, he couldn't carry on with his tough guy bravado if he wanted to get outta there without being electrocuted. So, he nodded slowly. Seemingly satisfied with the result, Reo pulled teh taser away, tossing it back into his drawer while reverting back to his previous personality. "Perfect. Now, I don't care how you get the money, but if I find out that you're trying to squirm your way outta our deal, I'll do a lot worse to you than I did last time. Now get outta here."

On cue, Mariku was wrenched out of his chair by Touma and pushed out of the office, forced to keep walking through the warehouse while the others watched on, smirking and jeering when some of them noticed the new cut that was given to him by Reo. Mariku pushed on, glaring at his old friends before he paused, standing there while Touma opened the door. A large hand that practically covered his shoulder grabbed it, fingers digging into the white fabric, and without much effort, Mariku was tossed out through the door and back onto the street, having to stumble slightly before he regained his balance. Closing the door, Touma gave him one last word of advice. "Don't come back here without our money."

Then he was alone. Standing there, with blood dripping down from his face and the stinging pain in his lip, it was nothing compared to the way his stomach dropped at the thought of how he would get the money together. Finally, he let out his frustrations on a trashcan nearby, kicking it over and sending its contents sprawling across the pavement, the lighter burger wrappers and pieces of paper floating away in the breeze. Rather than stick around and get caught for littering or some shit, Mariku walked off, unsure where he was going, but knowing that anywhere was better than facing his family and friends with the problems he brought down on them.


	12. Panic Attack

After the whole incident with Reo and his old gang, Mariku had taken to walking around the city for a while, keeping away from people as his battered looks would likely scare any who crossed paths with him. The thought of just going home caused his stomach to twist, unable to stomach the thought of telling  _anyone_ about his problems. Bakura had enough on his plate, Malik had his final exams to ace so that he could follow his dream to go to university, and they were the only two he could actually call friends. Mulling over his options, he found himself having wandered into the park, pausing at the gates as he glanced around. With the sun dipping behind the horizon and the skies turning darker, the trees loomed over the paths and small, secluded grassy parts, casting all in dark shadows and sending the temperature dropping as Mariku rubbed his exposed arms, deciding to slip his jacket on for some protection against the cold.

The cut on his lip had stopped bleeding, and yet stinging pain throbbed from the torn flesh as Mariku softly touched it, wincing and pulling his fingertips away when they brushed against the reddened skin. It would surely scar. Fantastic. Deciding to waste an hour or two wandering around the park, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket and strolled along the path. Many of the kids that usually littered the paths and playing area were not there, having gone home and likely tucking into their dinner before getting ready for bed, facing another day of school tomorrow. Going into school, bruised and battered, as well as having to listen to all the droning and boiling rooms. That and having detention for the next two weeks.

It made him frown deeply. If he was able to, he would never return to that school. Maybe he could leave the city entirely, go off somewhere and get a job, just like Rishid did. He'd have no family to have to raise, but then it would get incredibly lonely, and no doubt he would have had to abandon Bakura and his family as well. Casting that idea away, he knew that he would have to face the problem head on, but there was always the problem of money lurking at the back of his mind. Finding his usual bench in front of some sort of decorations consisting of many different coloured flower beds, he sat down, crossing his arms over his knees and leaning forward, deep in thought as he stared at the flowers swaying gently in the breeze.

The petals looked soft to the touch, bright colours that attract bees and all sorts of insects around, searching in hopes of finding the sweet nectar hidden deep inside the flower itself. Mariku carried on staring at them, his eyes unwavering before he slowly raised one of his hands, lowering his head so that his forehead rested in the palm of his hand. Exhaustion from the day wracked every fiber of his being, the teen wanting to just curl up in bed and never leave, though sure enough the day would continue to test him when he heard a feminine voice call out. "Mariku?"

He knew that voice. Lifting his head up, he glanced over to the source of the voice and spotted no other than Anzu standing there. Still in her school uniform, with her bag over her shoulder and hand holding onto the strap to keep it there, she stood there with a stunned look on her face, likely having seen the new cut on Mariku's lip. Saying nothing, he watched as she approached him slowly, asking in a quiet tone. "What happened to you?"

"Just a scratch. It's nothing." He lied, picking at the cut on his lip while looking away from the girl. Anzu wasn't convinced, coming closer to Mariku with her bag swaying with each step she took, pausing only when she saw Mariku staring at her again, silently ordering her to stay put with that glare in his eyes.

"Doesn't look like nothing." She shot back, shaking her head as she then sighed deeply. "What've you done?"

"I… went back to my old gang. Tried to tell them to leave Yuugi and my friends alone." Anzu was shocked at that, never knowing that he would willingly go back to the same people who caused all this mess. Staying where she was, she listened as Mariku continued, leaning back into the park bench with his hands finally leaving the sore wound on his lips alone. "It ain't that bad. Coulda been a whole lot worse, but…"

He paused, unsure whether he wanted to share his problems with Anzu of all people. Hell, he was unwilling to talk to Malik or his family or even  _Bakura_ , and Bakura was his best friend. Still, Anzu was doing what he thought she'd never do, she was giving him time to come out and say what was troubling him, standing there patiently with her hand on the strap of her bag. She knew about how much he owed them, so there was nothing to stop her from finding out that they wanted their money, regardless of the fight he tried to put up for himself and his friends. Finally, he rubbed the crook of his neck, the hand travelling to the back of his neck when he confessed. "They want their money. If I don't get it to them, things are gonna turn ugly."

"I don't even know where you could find over a hundred thousand yen." She pointed out, earning a grunt from Mariku in response before they fell silent. She seemed thoughtful, glancing off with one of her feet moving to the back of her leg, rubbing it nervously while Mariku went back to staring at the flowers that were just swaying gently. Neither of them said anything to each other, the atmosphere between them awkward and suffocating as Mariku fought back the urge to get up and walk away. Why he was still sitting there, letting Anzu judge him for the shit he brought down on her friends, it was all beyond his understanding.

So, getting up to his feet, he tried to walk away with a quick mumble. "Anyway, I should be getting back."

"Mariku, wait." Anzu called out, jogging up to his side as the teen boy did what she asked. Standing there, he silently stared down at Anzu as she paused by his side, those piercing brown eyes never once moving away as she continued to explain to him. "You'll need someway to find the money, and there's an opening at Burger World… I can put in a good word for you."

"You'd do that for me?" Mariku blinked, surprised that she would go this far to help him.

However, Anzu scoffed slightly, turning her head away as she pointed out. "I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing this for everyone who could get hurt by what you've done. Yuugi, Malik, even Bakura and his siblings could get hurt if they think it's the best way to get to you."

"I'd take it if it weren't for the fact that the school would never permit me to work." Mariku sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets as he grumbled. "Not with my grades the way they are."

"Since when did you start caring about the rules?" A smirk played at her lips when those words were uttered, causing Mariku to raise an eyebrow at how lenient Anzu, the goody two shoes just like Yuugi, was being with the school rules. She did raise a good point though, considering how good Mariku was at lying and covering things up, there really wasn't anything stopping him from getting the job he needed and doing weekends like Anzu and Jounouchi does.

"I guess you're right." He conceded.

"Of course I'm right." She joked, walking past Mariku and making her way down the path leading to another exit in the park. Her back to him, he watched her go while standing there, noticing her head turning to the side as she shouted back to him with a smile. "I'll let you know about the job!"

With that, she walked out of hearing range, the small figure that was Anzu getting smaller and smaller until he couldn't make her out anymore. The light from the skies faded away more as nightfall came, stars twinkling around the half crescent moon, bathing Mariku in its light before he decided that it would be best if he went home. Chilled winds picked up, the thin fabric of his jacket doing little as he shivered slightly, starting his long path back home again. His phone, having been turned off while he was walking, buzzed loudly when he turned it back on again, and when he saw just how many messages and missed calls from his family and friends, he sighed deeply to himself. What a mess he had gotten himself into. Glancing at the time before shoving the phone back in his pocket, he trudged along the path leading back out of the park.

His feet dragged along the pebbled path, kicking up a few of the small stones that hadn't been pressed down into the earth enough. Spotting a larger rock, he started kicking it along the path nonchalantly, trying to focus on anything other than his problems at the moment. Anzu jumping in to help him, even with her objections that it was for literally everyone else besides Mariku, it surprised him, like a twist in the story that he never saw coming. Even still, a job at Burger World wasn't the most high paying job in the world, and who knows if Reo and the others would give him time to get the money together that he needed. Still, it was better than nothing, even if that street vendor in Hong Kong idea still had some appeal to the tanned teen.

Out of the park, he walked along the streets of the city, pretty much alone save for those coming home from those late shifts at work. They were like zombies, shambling around the streets with pale faces looking like they had died and came back to life, all but ignoring Mariku even with him walking around looking like someone used his face as a punching bag. Fuck Jounouchi. His nose still stung like shit when he tried to breathe through it, and even though Nurse Zhao, and himself, were pretty certain that he hadn't broken it, every inhale he didn't take through his mouth caused the sore nose to ache even more. It was almost unbearable.

Trying his best to stop curious hands from messing about with his nose, he instead focused on his surroundings. The city had an almost untouched beauty about it at night. One that he saw constantly while walking about, having abandoned his home during one of his many arguments with either Malik or Ishizu. Most of those days, it was actually Rishid who went out to find him, looking around the less savoury parts of the city to find his younger brother, and eventually, he would find Mariku sitting in the park or hiding in one of the lonely alleyways. They weren't the safest places to hang around, but people were content to live and let live with him skulking around, as well as those lonely places being perfect for him to just sit down and contemplate his options. In the end, he was always convinced to go home and apologise for whatever fuck up he did that day. For what it's worth, Malik and Ishizu always apologised as well.

Still, even with the street light coming on with night falling over the city, Mariku kept away from the alleyways and took the safest route home. It wasn't the quickest, but he wasn't willing to risk running into drug dealers or people willing to rob him to get that next high. It was the worst around the docks, with all the unsavoury people, including himself, migrating to that area in concentrated numbers, causing fights and damage to property unfortunate enough to be around the docks. Walking under the bright, warm glow of the street lamps, he still felt the numerous eyes peering at him from the darkness in those tight alleyways and side streets, watching his every move in case he showed a chance for them to take him on. They never did. Even the normally rich area that Bakura lived in, there were always those few trying to test their luck in the background, waiting for that one unfortunate bastard to wander about with those expensive watches and jewellery that they could steal and sell on.

It was one of those times that Mariku was thankful that he was poor as shit.

Finally, he reached the side street that Bakura's house was on, ready to get into his bed and never leave it. The thought of school tomorrow did little to lift his mood. In the empty space of the street, with no one around, his footsteps were loud to his ears, echoing off into the distance while he walked slowly down the pavement. Feet slowing down, he tried to take as long as he could, unwilling to entertain the reality that Bakura would be pissed with him having disappeared again. All those questions, and on top with the dried blood caking his tanned skin from his new cut. Only an idiot would not be able to figure out what happened to him. Still, he had nowhere else he could lay his head that night, and so, sighing deeply to himself, he pushed himself to walk through the gate and up the path leading to the front door.

Even without looking through the living room window, he could hear the TV blaring out those annoying drama shows that Amane had gotten into. No doubt Bakura and Ryou would be sitting there bored, the former likely having at least a book or something to drown out the stupid shows, while Ryou could just retire to his room to work on his RPG things. Great. Grabbing the door knob, Mariku twisted it and pushed the door open with his shoulder, trying to be as quiet as possible. If he was careful, he could sneak past and hide up in his room, his eyes flashing over to the staircase if he needed to make a quick getaway. However, before he could even take another step, Bakura was immediately in the doorway between the hallway and the living room, staring at his best friend with narrowed eyes.

Staring back, Mariku said nothing, unwilling to incriminate himself, before he noticed the mobile phone in Bakura's hand. After a split second of uncomfortable silence, the white haired teen was the first to break the silence. "You went back to your gang, didn't you?"

Mariku knew it. There was hiding nothing from Bakura, and so with his finger scratching at his new wound, he nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"Are you stupid?! Didn't you stop to think how badly that would end up?!" He saw the chiding coming, bunking down for the worst of it, but surprisingly enough after Bakura had chewed him out, he moved from his spot in the doorway and approached his friend. Hand gripping his jawline gently, Bakura turned Mariku's head to get a better look at the cut, stopping him from picking at it while he sighed. "I take it this is their answer?"

"It's fine, really." Mariku tried to deflect, pulling his head out of Bakura's grip. The other didn't seem convinced at all, though he did release Mariku's jaw and instead gestured for him to follow Bakura into the living room. Mariku didn't want to, rather wishing he could disappear into his room, but still he followed after his friend. Sure enough, he was right about Amane watching that God awful drama show that had been going around the school lately, though Ryou was nowhere in sight. He should be grateful for that really, unwilling to let the others see his face in that state.

"Oh my God, Mariku, are you okay?!" Well shit. Amane had turned her head just when Mariku had came into the room, seeing the dried blood on his face and the nasty looking cut on his face. That, and his face was still bruised from the fight with Jounouchi earlier that day. Pausing in his step, he stared down at the shorter teenage girl as she got up from the couch, approaching him with widened eyes as she saw the extent of the damage to his face. "Who did this to you...?"

"Just something that happened. I'm alright now." Mariku brushed off, ruffling the top of Amane's head while adding with a forced smile. "Go on and watch your crappy show or I'm gonna put my shit on."

"Are you sure? Your face looks like… crap." Amane was unconvinced. Mariku could see it in those big brown eyes of hers, but he couldn't let her worry about him so much. It was his business. She couldn't get involved anyway, not with the type of people that he had to deal with. So, still maintaining the facade, he smirked with a devilish glint in his eyes.

"Your dad never taught you manners? Just for that, I'm making you watch what  _I_ wanna watch." That was enough for her to leave him alone. With Mariku actually able to do what he warned her he'd do, she decided to let sleeping dogs lie and left both him and Bakura alone, though she still wasn't entirely convinced that he was as nonchalant about his injuries as he made himself out to be. Returning to her couch, she watched them out of the corner of her eye, but Mariku took that as a win regardless and entered the kitchen with Bakura. The latter was rummaging around in the cupboards, trying to find something while Mariku made himself comfortable, lifting himself up so that he was sitting on the countertop next to the fridge.

Neither one of them said anything. They didn't need to, Bakura had said all he wanted to say back at the door and already figured out what Mariku did while he was gone. Still, the silence was almost suffocating as he sat there, watching his best friend finally pull out a small first aid kit from underneath the sink. How many did his father hide around the house? Mariku was pretty sure there was a condition for that. Unmoving from his spot, he sat there as Bakura looked through the contents in the box, finally pulling out a bottle of what looked like disinfectant and a rag, not bothering to close the first aid kit again and instead making his way over to the platinum blonde. After all the scraps he got himself in, he recognised disinfectant from anywhere and could practically feel the sting of it on his skin already, the bad memories of when he treated his hand before causing his hands to flex at how the burning sensation felt.

Unscrewing the top off the bottle, Bakura tipped it slightly onto the rag, dampening it before placing the bottle down gently next to Mariku and dapping the cloth on the wound on his lips. It stung like shit, but he was grateful to finally have the dried blood wiped away and his cut actually treated, knowing that he woulda just left it alone to fester. They still weren't talking. Rather, Bakura kept cleaning up the wound until all the blood had been wiped away, leaving a thin cut behind that was thankfully too shallow to need stitches. Bloody rag in hand, he tossed it on the counter near the sink, returning the disinfectant to the first aid box while Mariku watched from his spot, even taller than Bakura was while sitting on top of the counter. Eventually, the silence was broken by the white haired teen, his voice a quiet whisper as he asked. "What are we gonna do?"

"I think I have a way outta this." Mariku confessed, recalling the conversation with Anzu as his words gripped Bakura's attention, his friend silently staring at him while he continued with his hand twisting his blonde locks. "It was weird, but while I was walking about, I ran into Anzu. She… Well, she knew everything that's happened and she offered me… a chance to get a job."

"A job?" That was way more surprised than Mariku appreciated.

"Yeah. At the Burger World she works at, something about a free spot there for new employees." He explained, his eyes following Bakura around the room as the latter packed up the first aid kit, bundling it back under the sink, before finishing up cleaning the leftover dishes that were likely from dinner.

"Well that was nice of her." There was something off about Bakura's voice. Like he was angry at something, or someone, and it was then that Mariku's stomach twisted painfully, worried that he was the one that his best friend was annoyed with. Obviously he gave away that feeling on his face, something that Bakura picked up on even with the light from outside all but gone, leaving the kitchen in darkness save for the light coming in from the living room. Finally, he flipped the switch on the wall near the archway, bathing the room in an immense light that burned Mariku's eyes, though he was able to recover relatively quickly.

Rubbing his sore eyes, he stared at Bakura, who had taken to leaning against the counters that were opposite the ones he himself was sitting on. Arms crossed, he was silent for what felt like an eternity until he finally confessed, his voice a soft whisper as Mariku listened closely. "When you disappeared today, I… I was afraid that you wouldn't come back. I saw what your 'friends' did to you last time you met up with them. I didn't know if they wouldn't go further, and then you didn't return my calls or texts, I couldn't help but think the worst."

Mariku couldn't say anything in his defense. Looking at it from his friend's view, he could get that feeling of terror at the thought of someone he was close to disappearing, ignoring all attempts to contact them and staying out way past night time, especially after knowing how bad things got last time. His worry turned to guilt, thoughts buzzing around in his mind scolding him for being so careless with his actions. As he said nothing, Bakura took the chance to carry on lecturing him, though his words took a tender turn as he added. "I wanna help, Mariku. You're my best friend, that's what I'm here for, and that's what you're family is for. Ishizu knows what happened."

That last sentence was uttered like a whisper, but Mariku managed to catch it regardless. Heart stopping in his chest, he felt like he couldn't breathe, unable to stomach the idea that his older sister knew everything that happened because of him, because of his stupidity and his greed. Voice a guttural growl, he demanded to know answers. "Who told her? Malik?"

Saying nothing, Bakura didn't need to, instead nodding solemnly as the other teen groaned under his breath, his hand rubbing up his face until his fingers were tangled up in his wild hair. While he was internally panicking over his problems, Bakura carried on the conversation. "She was going to find out eventually, and from what Malik told me, she's not angry at you. She just wants to talk about this before it gets worse."

"I had it under control. No one needed to get involved." Mariku retorted, ignoring looks from his friend as he finally pushed himself off the counter. A low thud from his feet hitting the tiled kitchen floor, he paused for a moment, staring at Bakura with a deep frown, though all the anger slipped away while he confessed quietly. "I don't need anyone's help."

"Mariku, don't do this. Don't shove us away."

Gritting his teeth, his hands balled up into fists and he took an angered tone as he snarled. "I told you, I don't need anyone's help, I don't… Fuck, I don't deserve it! I know Reo, I know what these guys are like and what they're willing to do to get what they want. They almost killed me!"

"Which is why you can't go up against them alone!" Bakura snapped back, the rage in his voice bursting forth and surprising Mariku, the latter standing there stunned while the white haired teen continued ranting. "I know what they can do, I  _seen_ what they can do! You're not the only one dealing with this! So please, stop this bullshit and let those who wanna help do so! Why are you so afraid?!"

Why. That question was thrown at him over and over again throughout his life, even by himself. Why did he do the things he did? Why did he constantly push everyone away, even when they just wanted to help him? No answer came to him, at least not easily, and those feelings that squirmed up again were pushed back down, his face falling grim as he confessed quietly. "I don't want anyone to get hurt again because of me."

His confession gave Bakura pause. Unable to think of what to say, he was silent while Mariku added. "I've done some horrible things with those guys. Hurt a lot of good people, and those that I care about have been hurt. I've had my siblings threatened, friends abandon me to escape the gang, neighbours burgled for junk to sell on, and like a stupid kid I went along with it. I didn't care. I thought I was finally cool, getting the respect that no one gave me because I was a little Egyptian runt who didn't even know how to speak the language. If I do this myself, only I will get hurt, and to be honest… I'm not scared to die."

Bakura didn't reply to that. Instead, he appeared thoughtful, approaching Mariku as the latter assumed the worst, readying himself for a smack or something to snap him out of these thoughts that won't leave him alone. However, much to his surprise, Bakura stopped in front of him and simply replied. "I'm terrified for you. Please, just think about talking it out with Ishizu. She can help you, we all can, but we can't do anything if you don't let us."

And with that, he ended the conversation right there and then, obviously exhausted with the emotional strain that was weighing heavily on the bother of them, and instead disappeared back into the living room. Left alone, the words reeled in Mariku's head while he tried to figure out what he should do, finding that his chest hurt deeply with every breath becoming harder to push through in his lungs. Amane had heard all the arguing from the kitchen, considering there was no door there that they could've closed to give themselves some more privacy, but thankfully, she said nothing as Mariku left the kitchen, unable to bring himself to look Bakura in the eyes and instead running away from the confrontation, rushing up the stairs to his bedroom. His footsteps echoed loudly in the empty space. Once he reached the top of the staircase, he noticed the door to Ryou and Bakura's room open, those large eyes peering at him as their owner tried to ask what was wrong.

Before he could even utter a syllable, Mariku escaped into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him as the force caused the doorframe to vibrate violently. His bed wasn't made from that morning, but he noticed that Anubis had made himself comfortable on the mattress that was bare, the duvet folded over from where Mariku slipped out from to get ready for school. When the door slammed loudly, the poor cat was startled, its head rearing up and eyes wide open, ready to run at the slightest hint of trouble. When it saw only Mariku standing there, making no move to attack the cat, Anubis yawned loudly, showing off his pearly white canines before settling back down. It was almost cute. Still, head reeling from the argument, Mariku let out an annoyed groaned and leaned against the door, tapping the back of his head against the solid wood enough times that it started to sting, listening to the dull thuds every time his skull made contact with his door.

When it became too much, he stopped smacking his head and trudged over to his bed. Anubis didn't move when Mariku practically threw himself on the bed, rather looking up at his face that was almost buried in the fur of the animal's back, making himself comfortable in the middle of the bed. Rather than going back the sleep, Anubis stood up, stretching out his long limbs before settling back down, except facing Mariku this time with a deep purr resonating from his chest. Unmoving, Mariku's eyebrows furrowed when he felt what could only be described as wet sandpaper dragging across the skin of his forehead, catching some of his platinum blonde locks that made Anubis shake his head in an attempt to get them out. While it was irritating, he dully mumbled to the cat. "I don't want these. These are unauthorised kisses."

Anubis ignored him. Instead, he rubbed his cheek against Mariku and went back to sleep, stretched out horizontally across the bed with his face buried into Mariku's. Unable to breathe with cat fur getting into his nostrils, he raised his head slightly, slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position. Pulling off his school shirt and jacket, he tossed them to the floor below, ignoring the sad little pile of clothes as he sat there in just his pants, picking at the small scars that littered his chest and arms. Soon enough, his nails scrapped across the scar running along his upper arm, the healed wound deep where he remembered waking up to stitched knotting the flesh together, Bakura's handiwork not on the level of professional medics but good enough. With his other hand pressed into the soft mattress, he glanced down as Anubis pulled himself across the bed, rubbing his cheek all over the hand while rolling over onto his stomach, loudly purring as his paws padded into anything he could reach, even if it was Mariku's thigh.

Slowly, he slipped his long legs out of his school pants, chucking them against the wall before he flung himself back onto the bed, nearly sending poor Anubis flying as the cat jumped up into the air. Calming down, he decided that he would get no peace with Mariku flopping around, hopping off the bed and instead curling up in the clothes that were left in a pile on the floor, getting his cat smell rubbed into every piece that the animal could get to. Meanwhile, Mariku just laid there in his underwear, his hair spread wildly across his pillows as his mind felt empty. All the thoughts that were racing through, causing his stomach to twist and churn painfully, they were gone, leaving just a numb husk laying there on the bed, unsure what to do or what to say to make everything better.

Slowly, he turned his head to look out of the window, watching the faint glow of the city as the life going on outside his window echoed through the air, car horns and sirens in the distance while he stared at the darkened skies, watching the stars that twinkled amongst the pitch black while clouds rolled about, covering the crescent moon from time to time. Any hunger he felt melted away, and listening to the sounds of city life going out outside, his eyes slowly closed and sleep came to him, even with his body shaking with pain from his fight wracking every fiber of his being. His nose still ached every time he tried to breathe in, the dull pain constantly pulling him back from the deep sleep that was so tantalisingly close, so with a deep groan, he flipped over onto his stomach, leg thrown over the duvet as he slept uncovered on the bed. He remained that way for a while, having to breathe through his mouth before he heard a small chirrup, the mattress next to his other leg dipping slightly as Anubis decided he wanted to get back on the bed again.

Purring deeply, the vibrations going through his leg, the small creature settled down next to his shin, grooming himself slightly before going back to sleep, back pressed up against Mariku's skin with black fur tickling him. Ignoring the weird sensation, Mariku finally managed to get some proper sleep, slipping away as the sounds going on grew quieter and quieter. It was almost peaceful. For a time. After a while, his thoughts and problems managed to seep through even into his dreams, tainting them as the anxiety ruined probably the only time he could truly run away from his problems. Dark. Cold. Rats scurrying around his bare feet, too small to be his and yet so familiar, the concrete rubbing his skin raw and blisters left alone as he tried hard not to get bit by one of the disease carrying rodents.

Only a window giving light, the sun too bright so that he could see nothing of the world outside his window. Rather, it was just a wall of white, like nothing existed beyond the room he was confined in, left alone with heavy footsteps moving about above him. It was too closed, too cold and hot and lonely, the darkness creeping up on him. He wanted out. The door up the stairs was locked tight, unmoving despite his efforts and screams fallen on deaf ears. Small fists pounded on the door, threatening to break skin and yet he didn't care, trying to get someone, anyone, to hear him and let him out. Help him. Suddenly, the door wrenched open, blinding him with the piercing light that caused immense pain in his eyes, Mariku squinting with his arms in front of his face, ready to defend himself, and yet he paused when a voice called out. "I got ya, kid."

Lowering his arms, he saw that familiar red hair and piercing dark eyes staring down at him, and yet rather than be afraid or try to run, he felt almost relieved. Wanted. Welcomed. Reo clasped a hand on Mariku's shoulder, and when he glanced around, he saw that he was no longer in the darkness anymore, bathed in light, no longer alone and, even if he knew better, he felt better in Reo's company. With a deep laugh, Reo comforted him. "You and me, we're gonna live well with our plans. I ain't gonna be able to do this with you, right? You ain't gonna abandon me?"

"No… I won't. I promise." Mariku replied, his voice creaking like it did when he first started puberty. Around fourteen years old. That was when he met Reo for the first time. He knew those words anywhere.

"Good." Reo grinned, pausing as his grip on Mariku's shoulder tightened, it verging on the edge of being painful. Glancing up, he backed off slightly when he noticed those eyes, once carefree and pleased to see him, were cold and angry, the barely visible pupils smaller and animalistic as his voice took a dangerous turn. "Promises didn't mean shit, did they? You hurt me, Mariku, you're nothing but a thief and a liar and everyone's gonna see you for who you really are."

He couldn't get away. The truth hurt, slicing into him like knives, and yet it pained him more than any physical pain that was inflicted upon him in his short life. Warmth. Something like water yet warm running down his arm, agony like wildfire running through his upper arm as he gripped it tightly, feeling that hot liquid on his fingers before pulling his hand back. Eyes widened slightly, he backed up with his hand shaking, none other than blood staining his digits red. Slowly, his eyes dropped to the pain radiating from his arm, and there he saw slashed flesh, the wound deep and pouring out copious amounts of blood, almost too much to be the amount that he actually lost. Fear gripped at him, and yet he tried to push it back, tried to keep being the brave man that people told him to be. He wouldn't scream for help, he wouldn't cry or beg or show any weakness, but he did run.

Legs weak, knees wobbling, he barely got a foot away before collapsing to the ground, his body too exhausted and beaten to respond to any command his brain tried to give them. Footsteps behind him, echoing in the empty space. Reo was approaching. Slowly. Purposely, like he was getting ready to finish it off, and all Mariku could do was drag himself across the floor while bleeding out onto the ground. Nowhere to run. Fear gripping, like nails digging into him and never letting go, his own fingers digging into what felt like dirt and yet was practically nothing. He couldn't get away. Exhausted, he was flipped on his back with something shoved in his face, the sound of electricity mere inches from his nose caused him to flinch, unable to escape as Reo neared with the taser. Closer and closer.

Suddenly, he sat upright, his breathing quick and shallow as he tried to catch a breath, filling his lungs full of air when it felt like they had been starved for so long. Unsure where he was, he glanced around, finding himself back in his bedroom alone, his lamp having been turned off by likely Bakura or one of his siblings, leaving the platinum blonde to sleep. With his breathing under control, he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, finding that he was sweating profusely with tanned skin clammy and the back of his hand glistening with his sweat, feeling like he had spent a while in a sauna. Glancing at the window, he noticed that it was still dark outside, his curtains swaying in the faint breeze that managed to blow in through his open window, keeping the room from getting unbearably hot.

It was just a dream. It felt like something real though, Mariku unsure what he would find when he glanced down at his arm, finding that the wound that had been bleeding profusely was just the same scar that he saw constantly, though there was hardly any reason for him to celebrate that. After that nightmare, he very much doubted that he would be able to get back to sleep, and so decided to get out of bed, moving his long legs away from Anubis slowly to avoid waking the animal up. The floor was freezing to his bare feet, Mariku flinching slightly before suffering through it and getting up from his bed, staring at his pile of clothes before deciding to go to bathroom in just his underwear. No one was awake at this time of night, so there was little risk of something spotting him wandering around in his boxers.

Everywhere was pitch black. Bakura likely turned off the lights before going to bed, Mariku using his phone that he grabbed from the nightstand as his only light in the darkness, holding it in front of him like a guide, trying not to accidentally fall down the stairs as he walked past the staircase. Houses were definately scarier at night, every noise amplifying as he often wondered what exactly one of those sounds were, unnerved from the shapes that moved in the cover of black. Finally, he reached the bathroom, and shut the door behind him once he was inside, locking it to make sure nothing could sneak up on him as he freshened up. The frosted glass window caused the once crystal clear outdoors to blur into numerous shapes and splodges of colour, distorting the street lights out there into different shapes of orange.

Turning away from the window, Mariku instead stared at his reflection in the small mirror hanging over the bathroom basin. Eyes narrowed with huge bags under them, he winced when he saw the bruises and red marks left behind from his fight with Jounouchi yesterday, the first punch he threw at Mariku's jaw leaving behind an angry looking bruise, the flesh that was once brown in colour now black and blue, running all along his jawline that was sensitive to the touch. Leaving it alone, he instead stared at the cut on his lip, courtesy of Reo, though it looked better after Bakura cleaned it up for him. Wincing at touching it, he grumbled to himself. "Ow. Still, coulda been worse."

With the bandaged wrapped around his chest, he started picking at the fabric, glancing over at the shower and wondering if he should use the time he had to get washed up, seeing that dawn was fast approaching with the sun peeking out through the frosted window. Recalling the burns on his back from last time, he winced at the thought of doing it again, but pushed forward when he got a good smell of himself. He stunk. Pulling at the bandages, he managed to get out of them with some messing about, starting the shower while he pulled the bandages off his body. Bakura really was good at the bandage work considering how difficult it was to undo them. Kicking his boxers over in the corner, he paused at the shower door, watching the hot water steam up on the inside of the glass column before glancing over at the mirror, able to see some of his scalded back from where he stood.

The flesh was still blistered and red raw, having healed little over the couple of days since he inflicted it upon himself. Sore to the touch, he was still unable to sleep properly on his back, though the burn cream that Bakura put on worked somewhat in helping with the discomfort, letting the burns heal themselves over time. Deciding to lower the temperature of the shower to a luke warm, Mariku stood inside and closed the door behind him, finding the colder water stinging somewhat when it dripped down his back, wincing slightly before managing to get it under control. After a while, it was almost a welcoming sensation, cooling down his red hot skin and soothing his bruised and battered flesh, even though hotter water would've helped him and his muscles relax better. Still, he couldn't complain.

Pressing his lower arms against the cool tile, he stood there with his forehead resting between them, staring down at the floor where the water swished around before flowing down the drain. Hair weighed down from the water pouring onto him, he could see his bangs drooping down, soaking wet and losing all rigidness that they once had. After standing there for a while, he finally summoned the energy to reach up for the soap bottle that was left in the small holder held into the wall, flicking the cap open with his thumb. The fragrance wafted into his nose, reminding him of the familiar smell that he recalled when watching that movie with Bakura, the other's hair getting everywhere when he fell asleep on Mariku's shoulder. This must had been his shampoo. Still, Mariku didn't have any of his own, and squeezing a dollop on the top of his head, he worked his fingers through the knotted locks in hope of getting them out.

Humming under his breath, his nose was bombarded with the smell of the shampoo. It wasn't really a terrible overwhelming scent, in fact, it was familiar, comforting to Mariku while he rinsed his hair out under the spray of the shower head, making sure to get all the shampoo out of his locks. Foams of it formed at his feet, swirling around before being forced down the drain by the movement of the water in the shower, though little bubbles managed to avoid being pulled through the drain and instead stuck to the outline of the shower floor. With his hair washed completely, he glanced down at the soap on the floor, watching the small foamy bubbles twirl around as the roar of water was loud in his ears. Softly, he hummed a small tune under his breath, grabbing the body wash from the same shelf and getting to cleaning the rest of his body, hoping it'd be enough to get rid of the stench of sweat that plagued him.

The cool liquid was welcomed on his heated skin, though he was careful around the tender patches on his shoulders, fingers glossing over the reddened skin while he rubbed the tips into his upper arms, unable to stop his thumb from running over the scarred tissue. Nightmares from before carried on plaguing him even when he was awake, his heart still pounding without the teenager unable to calm himself down. There was nothing he could tell himself. This nightmare was real. With a soft thud, he tapped his head against the tiled wall again, stopping in washing himself for a moment to give himself some time to contemplate. Only when he paused did he realise that the body wash he was using was Bakura's as well, staring at the bottle on the shelf with a frown. "I really need to get my own fucking shampoo."

That familiar scent permeated throughout the glass column, becoming all that Mariku could smell while he rinsed the suds off his body finally, making sure that he got all off the harder to reach areas. Fully clean, he took a few minutes to enjoy the shower to himself, glad to stand there without Amane pounding down the door, desperate to get in and fix her hair for the day. Fully clean and smelling less like sweat and blood, he turned the shower off, his hand slowly pushing the door open when the cold air hit him hard. Even though the water wasn't that much warmer than the rest of the bathroom, he still felt like he went from a sauna straight into the Arctic, standing on the bath mat dripping wet and shivering.

Towel in hand, he started drying himself off, being careful around the sensitive skin that he had burnt last time he had a shower. His hair was the last to be dried, platinum locks heavy with water as he rubbed his head quickly with the towel, trying to get it dry enough with his face looking down at the ground, closed to stop himself from poking his eyes out. He hated his hair. Huge with stiff pointed locks, it was a pain in the ass cleaning and drying, with water somehow always finding a way of staying put in his mane. Even after drying it for minutes, he could feel dampness while running his fingers through the hair. It'd have to do. Growling to himself, he wrapped the towel around his waist and finally opened the bathroom door, releasing the built up steam into the hallway.

Freezing, he shivered for a moment before making his way back to his bedroom to get changed, trying to sneak by quietly when he walked past the two bedroom doors on the way to his. In the darkness apart from the lone bathroom light, his feet creaked on the old floorboards, causing Mariku to pause for a moment while watching the bedroom he had stopped in front of. After a few tense seconds, he didn't come face to face with any of the other teens that were fast asleep, and so kept walking until he finally reached his bedroom, closing the door behind him as he started getting changed into his uniform for the school day. Plucking a fresh shirt from his suitcase, he paused, staring down at the clean and folded clothes that were packed away neatly in the suitcase.

He didn't do that. Did Bakura do his washing over the weekend?

That brought a small smirk to Mariku's face, his shirt smelling of washing powder rather than sweat and an absurd amount of body spray to cover up the stench. Slowly, he slipped his arms through the sleeves, buttoning the shirt up as he glanced out of the window. Morning was approaching fast. The once navy blue skies were lighter colours of yellow and greens and light blues, the sun slowly peeking over the horizon between the looming towers. Spotting his phone on the nightstand, he plucked it up and unlocked it, seeing what time it was. Almost six in the morning. Tossing it on the bed, he stifled a yawn and got back to getting dressed. Pants and shirt on, he sat down next to Anubis, giving the sleeping cat a gentle pat on the top of his head, before pulling his socks on his feet.

With the movement in the room, Anubis finally opened his eyes, blinking slowly while watching Mariku creepily, unmoving from his lounged position until Mariku got up to his feet. Like that, something in the cat switched and he bolted from the bed, pacing around the door while protesting loudly, his meows echoing through the empty air while Mariku scolded him. "Hey, dude, shut the fuck up. People are trying to sleep!"

Anubis didn't listen, or he simply didn't care. He was a cat.

Rather, he carried on running around frantically until Mariku, having grabbed his phone from the bed, walked over to the door, wondering what he wanted before opening the door and watching as Anubis, finding the new way out, bolted through the door and down the stairs. In the dark, all he could hear was the heavy thudding from Anubis practically throwing his small body down the steps. Well considering he was already up, he might as well see what was going on with the new member of the family. Leaving the bathroom light on to give him some inkling of what was where in the pitch black, he managed to quieten his steps with his socks on, even if he nearly slipped to his death down those cursed stairs. Gripping tightly on the bannister, he managed to stop himself from tumbling down the rest of the steps, taking a moment to catch his breath before making it to the bottom of the staircase.

Wherever Anubis had gotten himself off to was a mystery. Fumbling around for a moment, Mariku managed to find his way into the living room, finding the morning light coming through the windows. It wasn't much, but at least he could see the outline of everything while searching for the light. Fingers brushing against the wall, he finally found the light switch and flicked it, stunned for a moment when the bright, burning light instantly came on. At least he didn't have to stumble through the dark anymore. Leaving the switch alone, he turned, immediately pausing when he saw Anubis sitting by the archway leading into the kitchen, staring at him with those large eyes. Before Mariku could do anything, Anubis ran off again into the kitchen. Curious, he followed after the creature, finding that the cat was sitting by the back door.

"Do you wanna go out?" He asked the cat, wondering why Anubis bothered sitting by the back door when the kitchen window was open, allowing him to come and go as he pleased without bothering anyone else. However, as Mariku got closer, he noticed a small bowl on a mat near the backdoor. "Oh. You wanna get fed."

Another meow as a response. Now if only he knew where the cat food was kept, Mariku searching through the cupboards in hope to spot the box of food, all while Anubis impatiently waited for his breakfast. Dashing around his legs and trying to climb up them, only for his long claws to go through Mariku's pants and into his flesh, Anubis was nearly launched across the room before Mariku managed to control himself, instead shaking his leg so that Anubis slipped down on the floor. Finally, he was successful in finding the cat food, grabbing a packet before turning his attention back to the food bowl. The meows gotten louder, Anubis rushing back to the bowl and practically shoving his head in it, meaning that Mariku couldn't get the food into without it just dropping on the top of the animal's head.

"Move." He growled, putting his hand on the cat's chest and pushing him out of the way while trying to get the cat food out of the pouch, practically battling with Anubis as he tried to get back to his bowl. Eventually, he won the little fight, backing off with the empty packet while Anubis dive bombed the must have been hungry, even after spending a few days with them and getting food regularly. Watching the poor creature guard his food, fearful that he would lose it, it was pretty sad. Deciding to leave him alone to eat, Mariku's stomach growled loudly, reminding him that it was time to feed himself. He didn't even know the last time he had eaten anything. Did he eat last night? At lunch? Did he even bother with breakfast?

The thought of eating then made his stomach churn, but he knew that if he kept foregoing food then he'd crash during the day. So, grabbing a couple of slices of bread, he tossed them in the toaster and went to gather his things for the day, slinking back into the living room in search of his things. His school bag had been left by the living room doorway, slumped on the ground while Mariku ignored it, instead pulling his phone out to check the time. The others would be getting up soon. From behind him, the sound of his toast popping up from the toaster could be heard, causing Mariku to turn back around and head back into the kitchen.

Anubis had finished his food and was on the mooch for more, circling around the toast before Mariku managed to save his toast, plucking from right in front of the cat's face. Without the food enticing him, Anubis hopped down from the counter and casually walked back into the living room, likely going to find somewhere warm and soft to rest. Mariku watched him go, toast in mouth, before following after him into the other room, deciding to relax a bit before having to get ready to leave for school. Jumping onto the couch, his sheer weight sank down into the cushions, sock covered feet resting on the arm rest as he turned the TV on, staring at the screen as some sort of game show popped up.

He didn't get it, and to be completely honest he didn't really care about it either, but there was nothing on at this time of morning, so he sucked it up and sat there in silence, occasionally glancing at his phone in an attempt to stem the boredom. He didn't know how long time went, with his mind elsewhere and Anubis coming and going, sometimes settling down on Mariku's stomach only for his breathing to offend him somehow and run off again. It was annoying, if somewhat endearing as well. Eventually however, his peaceful time alone was disturbed with the door opening upstairs and footsteps moving around above him, slowly making their way to the staircase as he remained unmoving, rather staring at his phone scream until a soft voice called out. "Mariku? Why are you awake?"

Slowly, he tipped his head back to see the newcomer, finding that it was Ryou who had gotten up, even if he still looked like he wanted to be nowhere but his bed. Usual soft flowing hair stuck out in various directions, similar to how Bakura had his hair most of the time, Ryou rubbed his doe eye to get rid of the rest of the sleep stuck there, slowly making his way into the kitchen to make himself some breakfast. Turning his attention back to the TV, Mariku called behind him. "Couldn't sleep. Thought I'd just get ready and come down here."

"How long have you been awake?" Ryou's tender voice carried from the kitchen, though Mariku almost missed it considering the other boy always talked quieter than was necessary.

After a moment of thought, Mariku replied tiredly. "Before sunrise."

"Wow, that's pretty early to wake up." Ryou appeared again, holding a bowl of cereal and sitting down by Mariku's legs, waiting while he moved them before doing so. Sitting there peacefully, both of them fell silent when Mariku didn't respond to Ryou's observation, and honestly, Mariku prefered it that way. He hated small talk. The white haired boy was perfectly content with sitting there as well, watching the show that Mariku had on since he came down, and yet there was something off with him that morning. He seemed unnerved, hesitant, like he wanted to ask something but feared the repercussions for doing so, and it unnerved MAriku just as much with not knowing what was wrong. He didn't show it of course, it was scarily easy for him to fake his emotions, but it didn't mean they weren't there.

Finally, the truth was revealed as Ryou muttered. "I heard you and Bakura arguing last night."

Oh shit. Mariku said nothing, not willing to confess his thought and instead sat there silently while Ryou continued. "I know about you old… gang. The people who threatened Yuugi, and that you went after them. I noticed the cut on your lip when you ran into your room last night."

Almost on instinct, Mariku's finger ghosted over his lip, staying far enough away so that he didn't hurt his face even more, before dropping his hand altogether. Ryou said nothing about his small action, rather offloading his feelings as he confessed. "Bakura was terrified, and so was I. We didn't know where you were, or if you were seriously hurt. It reminded Bakura…"

Ryou paused. Intrigued by what he was gonna say, Mariku pulled himself up into a sitting position, putting his feet down on the floor before nudging Ryou to reveal what he was gonna say. "What? It reminded him of what?"

"Our mother." That made Mariku's heart grip. It had been years since Bakura's mother died, and even then he didn't know all the details of what happened, besides the fact that it was a car crash and that's what resulted in Amane's leg being amputated. Saying nothing, he sat there in shock while Ryou continued. "We were waiting for her to come home that day. I'd wait at the window while Bakura was busy doing chores. We wanted her to come home to a clean house and dinner already done so she could relax, but… she never did. That's what was running through our heads last night, whether or not you… you'd come home."

The truth stung. It stung badly, feeling like a vice around his heart that was squeezing tighter and tighter, the pain building up in his chest as it felt like Mariku couldn't breathe. His hand hovered over his chest, trying to stop his breathing as it quickened, the sound of his heartbeats thundering in his ears as it felt like the world was crushing him, the weight feeling suffocating as he realised what was going on. All the times he had them in the past flooded back, and yet he couldn't stop the panic from racing through his body. He wanted to get away, he  _needed_ to get away, and when Ryou noticed the other teen's behaviour did he reach out in concern. "Mariku, are you okay?"

Even the brush of the fingers on his shoulder caused Mariku to flinch away, his voice a harsh bark as he snapped. " _Don't touch me!_ "

Like he was burned, Ryou retracted his hand instantly, unable to stop Mariku as the older boy rushed out of the living room and up the stairs, the commotion and Ryou calling out likely waking up the other sleeping people in the household. As soon as he reached the bathroom, he heard the door beside him open, and none other than Bakura asked frantically. "Mariku? Wai-!"

His voice was cut off with the slamming of the bathroom door. Locking it, Mariku slid down with his back against the wooden surface, remaining on the floor as the full effects of the panic attack gripped him. Lungs burning from the lack of air even though he was breathing, it felt like he was going to black out, his hands pressed against his eyes to stop the tears from coming out. He would not cry. He would not  _cry._ With the heavy breathing, his mind was reeling around in dizziness, his thoughts lost in the haze as he didn't know what to do or what was going on. It was all a blur. Bakura's voice from the other side, accompanied with the banging of the door, were all just mumbles and whispers in his mind, Mariku unable to make out what he was saying while his body slid down on the cold bathroom floor.

Arms up in front of his face and body curled up, his vision started blurring when his frantic breathing refused to let up, resulting in Mariku blacking out, laying there on the bathroom floor while his friend tried fruitlessly to get inside and help him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the long wait, but I have been just too busy to write this chapter, especially given the length of these chapters meaning that it would take at the minimum of 10 hours just to finish one, and then there's the editing and beta reading. I don't know when the next chapter will be, but know that I haven't abandoned this story, it just takes a while to find the time and motivation to do this!
> 
> Thanks to those that have reviewed this story, your words makes finding the motivation so much easier! <3


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